Signing Climate Change and Heritage

A portion of the British Sign Language sign for “carbon footprint,” full video for the sign on YouTube.

By Marcy Rockman, Lifting Rocks Climate and Heritage Consulting, for the SHA Climate Heritage Initiative

An array of new signs has been added to British Sign Language (BSL) to convey climate change and associated issues such as greenhouse gasses, tipping points, and sustainability. Each is a creation that is more than finger spelling or compilations of previously developed signs; rather, this new vocabulary incorporates motions that convey the essence of what is happening or envisioned. This raises some great questions about how to sign connections of archaeology/heritage and climate change.

For example, “carbon footprint” begins with the left hand forming a “C” shape to represent carbon, while the right hand moves away from the “C” to mimic the release of carbon into the atmosphere. This movement of the right hand gives the term flexibility, rapid upward movement of the right hand indicates high emissions from an activity and a slower downward movement means lower emissions (all new terms are illustrated in the featured link).

Inspired by this, I looked up signs for archaeology, history, and heritage. In American Sign Language (ASL), signs for archaeology are combinations of motions for digging, scraping with a trowel, and a motion that suggests time or walking. History is an “H” finger sign moving up and down twice. Heritage is a rolling motion made with both hands moving either away from the body or in towards it. 

Over recent years “climate heritage” has come into use to describe connections of archaeology, history, heritage, and climate To date, there isn’t yet a sign for “climate heritage” in ASL or BSL. Which raises the question:  what would we like a sign for climate heritage to share? Practical action, such as a digging motion combined with a rising flat palm to convey sea level rise? Or vision, such as an “H” combined with movements around a world then a lowering of emissions? 

Featured Link: https://theconversation.com/how-we-developed-sign-language-for-ten-of-the-trickiest-climate-change-terms-242254

For a listing of all blog posts in this series, visit our Climate Heritage Initiative page.