This paper creates a visual physically plausible causal chain to communicate long-term changes in local climate risk, using flooding in a UK river basin as an example. This chain places local hazards, such as flooding, within the broader context of global climate change, including factors like global carbon dioxide emissions and temperature changes. It relies exclusively on observations, thereby avoiding the additional uncertainties associated with climate scenarios that might hinder understanding in certain situations. This causal chain idea has the potential to be a powerful communication tool for clearly communicating risks and the contributing factors, engaging with local communities, and addressing common misconceptions like the “Myth of Dry Feet” - a Dutch expression implying that extreme events such as floods only happen elsewhere, and won't happen "here" or "to me". While this chain is created for flood risk in the UK, it has the potential for broader application in various geoscience fields.

This paper is timely because of its focus on going beyond interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary - which is a hot topic for the field and in academia. This would be of interest to the broader public because explicitly described transdisciplinary approaches to decision-making are appearing in national and international conversations (e.g., at the 2023 United Nations General Assembly).

The paper is a guideline especially for educators that highlights the potential of a transformation towards diversified knowledge systems in curricula.