British Sign Language is expanding so a new generation can discuss climate change and environmental issues.
ADVERTISEMENTThe climate crisis demands a new vocabulary to describe what the burning of fossil fuels is doing to the planet.
While terms such as greenhouse gases, carbon footprint, and sustainability have quickly slipped into everyday use in English, turning them into sign language is a more complicated process.
But a team of experts at the University of Edinburgh – including deaf scientists and educators – were determined to do just that so that deaf people could be included in this critical conversation.
Earlier this year, 400 new environmental science terms were approved in British Sign Language (BSL) following sign creation workshops at the university’s Scottish Sensory Centre.
“Creating BSL signs for abstract climate concepts is very different from tangible objects like animals, but the process is equally fascinating,” explains Dr Audrey Cameron, who is managing the BSL glossary project, in a recent article for academic outlet The Conversation.
“While a rabbit sign might directly represent its physical appearance, climate concepts require a deep understanding of scientific processes to create meaningful visual representations.”
How does British sign language represent climate change?
Previously, if a deaf teacher wanted to use the term greenhouse gases, they would need to painstakingly finger-spell G-R-E-E-N-H-O-U-S-E and then G-A-S-E-S.
The new sign takes a simpler conceptual approach, visually representing how greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane interact with sunlight in Earth’s atmosphere.
Both hands begin in circular shapes, before making moving gestures to show the presence of gases in the atmosphere, Dr Cameron explains. The left hand then changes to a flat position to represent the Earth’s surface, while the right hand changes to just an extended index finger that moves downward and bounces back up towards the left hand.
This neatly demonstrates how sunlight is reflected from the Earth’s surface and trapped by greenhouse gases.
A whole host of carbon terminology has also been added to BSL
With carbon dioxide being the key gas distorting Earth’s climate, there’s a whole suite of new phrases beginning with carbon.
The concept of carbon emissions starts with the left hand forming a ‘C’ shape to represent carbon, while the right hand shows the release of carbon into the atmosphere. The movement of the right hand indicates the varying levels of carbon emissions, Dr Cameron says.
A rapid upward movement represents high emissions from an activity, while a slower downward movement shows lower emissions.
The carbon offsetting sign builds on this – starting with the ‘C’ handshape before both hands demonstrate the carbon imbalance in the atmosphere. It then illustrates the action of compressing these levels by offsetting – by planting more trees, for example, or using carbon capture technology.
As for climate change, the team developed another compound sign starting with ‘climate’: both hands make cloud-like movements to represent weather conditions.
ADVERTISEMENTThe hands then make a turning motion to represent change, showing how weather patterns are shifting over time. The speed of the turning movement can be adjusted to show whether the climate change is gradual or dramatic – as shown here in video form.
