An open letter from a group of climate scientists ask for an end to the rainbow colour scale in climate science. The scientists, including NCAS's Ed Hawkins petitions the climate science community in a "A plea to you all to help rid climate science of colour scales that can distort, mislead and confuse. Colour scales that are often illegible to those who are colour blind."

The open letter is published on the Climate Lab Book blog, co-written by Hawkins and outlines the need to reform the use of certain colour scales and offers possible solutions. Highlighting that "We need to be more willing to discuss and criticise the visualisation of the science as well as the science itself", the open letter highlights that authors, journals reviewers and editors need to be aware of the issues surrounding potentially misleading colour scales. 

The authors ask their colleagues to undertake a pledge, "to never again be an author on a paper which uses a rainbow colour scale." 

The letter and blog post also provides alternative colour scales and discussion on the topic. Read the open letter here - http://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2014/end-of-the-rainbow/