More WOrk
For the past 8.5 years I've been making explainer videos about human health. Now, I'm turning my attention to another area I'm extremely passionate about: planetary health.
Join me on my new YouTube channel, Explanimated, for science-based stories about our planet, from past to possible future.
A drought and heat wave in Ghana and the Ivory Coast in early 2024 caused cocoa prices to surge 280% higher than the year before, and prices have been up, for the most part, since.
This animated explainer breaks down how climate change is affecting cacao (the tree that makes chocolate possible) and why hotter, drier conditions in the cocoa belt mean fewer beans.
But this story is bigger than chocolate. Climate change makes extreme weather, extreme heat, and drought more likely, which can affect crops, and can cause food prices to rise.
I made this video to teach motion design – it’s the final project in my course, After Effects, Explained. But I also used it as an opportunity to talk about climate change by making complex climate science visual, specific, and easy to understand.
Most Americans still rarely talk about climate change day to day. Recent Yale research found 44% never discuss it with family or friends. But the data shows this is more of a communication gap, not a caring gap. 64% of Americans report being at least somewhat worried, yet the 61% underestimate the proportion of Americans who are worried.
The more we talk about it, the more we change the culture to one that demands climate action.
