Google searches reveal where people are most concerned about climate change

What do you do if you have a question? You probably Google it.

Google search histories can be used as a "barometer of social awareness".

According to Google Trends, in 2017 Australians were keen to know about tennis, Sophie Monk, fidget spinners and bitcoin.

But besides these arguably trivial queries, our Google searches also revealed our concerns about extreme weather events such as Cyclone Debbie, Hurricane Irma, and the Bali volcano.

Our research, published in the journal Climatic Change, suggests that Google search histories can be used as a "barometer of social awareness" to measure communities' awareness of climate change, and their ability to adapt to it.

Read the story by Carla Archibald and Nathalie Butt from The Conversation, published here by ABC News - “Google searches reveal where people are most concerned about climate change.”