A new study has found that people are quick to normalize unusual weather events, such as heat waves and floods, on social media. This could have implications for how we communicate about climate change and take action to mitigate its effects.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, analyzed over 100 million tweets about weather events in the United States between 2010 and 2020. The researchers found that people were more likely to tweet about unusual weather events when they first occurred, but that the number of tweets about these events declined rapidly over time. This suggests that people quickly become accustomed to unusual weather events and start to see them as normal.

"Our results suggest that people may be less likely to take action to address climate change if they perceive it as a gradual process rather than a sudden change," said study lead author Dr. Sarah Myhre, a climate scientist at the University of Washington. "This could have important implications for our ability to mitigate the effects of climate change."

The study also found that people were more likely to tweet about unusual weather events that were personally relevant to them. For example, people were more likely to tweet about a heat wave if they lived in an area that was experiencing high temperatures. This suggests that people may be more motivated to take action on climate change if they feel that it is affecting them personally.

"Our findings suggest that we need to find ways to communicate about climate change in a way that makes it personally relevant to people," said Myhre. "We also need to find ways to help people understand that climate change is a gradual process that can have serious consequences if we don't take action to mitigate its effects."

The study's findings are consistent with previous research that has found that people are often reluctant to believe in climate change because it seems too gradual and distant. This research suggests that we need to find new ways to communicate about climate change that make it more relatable and urgent.