I founded the Cloud Appreciation Society in 2005 because I believed we should all pay more attention to the sky. It was originally just a lighthearted idea — I felt I needed to stand up for clouds. In Britain, where I live, they’ve always received a bad rap because they have a habit of raining on our barbecues. The Society was for anyone who, like me, believed that clouds are one of the most evocative, dynamic and accessible aspects of nature. Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of people have joined the Society from all around the world, and I’ve come to realize there are also weightier reasons for paying more attention to clouds. Some relate to our mental health, and how the sky is an ever-present resource for us. Others relate to atmospheric science, and the way changing cloud cover in a warming climate could shift how clouds regulate temperatures below, which is the subject of my guest essay this week. The world has changed in both these domains over the life of the Society. Our need to be out in nature for well-being has never been greater. Our attention economy is, of course, dependent on getting us to look down — at our devices. Looking up at the sky is something we can all choose to do at any moment. It is a way to lift our perspective. Tuning in to the sky encourages you to slow down, to follow a narrative with no beginning and no end, to find what is common between us rather than what divides. No one, as far as I am aware, has ever come to blows over the beauty of a sunrise. The scientific case for paying more attention to the sky is, I now believe, even more profound. That these most dynamic aspects of nature should change as the global climate heats up has, to me, always seemed likely. Now, the science is starting to show us how, and the stakes are high. The sky, it turns out, is both mirror and messenger. It reflects our need for wonder, and it carries the signals of what lies ahead.
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