start ling ▁animation " ▁Haw kins ▁had ▁" hit ▁a ▁grand ▁sl am — and ▁not ▁through ▁some ▁clever ▁turn ▁of ▁phrase ▁or ▁some ▁new ▁met ap hor ▁or ▁fr aming , ▁but ▁rather , ▁through ▁vir al ▁data ▁visual ization ". ▁Sarah ▁R ense , ▁first ▁writing ▁in ▁Es quire ▁that ▁" cl imate ▁science ▁is ▁un pal atable " ▁and ▁" de press ing ▁data ", ▁character ized ▁the ▁new ▁graph ic ▁as ▁being ▁" as ▁mes mer izing ▁as ▁it ▁is ▁de press ing ", ▁" a ▁cool ▁G IF ▁with ▁pretty ▁colours ▁( to ▁which ) ▁people ▁will ▁pay ▁attention ". ▁In ▁late ▁May ▁ 2 0 1 6 , ▁Brian ▁K ahn , ▁communic ations ▁coordin ator ▁at ▁the ▁International ▁Research ▁Institute ▁for ▁Cl imate ▁and ▁Society , ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁spir al ▁was ▁a ▁" re volution ary ▁new ▁way ▁to ▁look ▁at ▁global ▁temper atures " ▁and ▁pos ited ▁that ▁the ▁graph ic ' s ▁popular ity ▁" can ▁be ▁attributed ▁in ▁part ▁to ▁its ▁hyp not ic ▁nature ▁and ▁the ▁vis cer al ▁way ▁it ▁shows ▁the ▁present ▁pred ic ament ▁of ▁climate ▁change ". ▁In ▁July ▁ 2 0 1 6 , ▁fre el ance ▁journalist ▁Ch else a ▁Har vey ▁wrote ▁in ▁The ▁Washington ▁Post ▁that , ▁" at ▁a ▁time ▁when ▁climate ▁science ▁communication ▁efforts ▁are ▁often ▁viewed ▁as ▁dense ▁or ▁difficult ▁for ▁general ▁aud ien ces ▁to ▁understand , ▁these ▁types ▁of ▁striking ▁graphics ▁may ▁help ▁climate ▁scient ists ▁connect ▁with