With more information available to us than ever before, the rise of the infographic has never been more important in making things clear, especially when it comes to environmental issues.
Nothing explains a big issue better than a well-designed infographic, the distillation of key facts into visual representation. The best infographics not only contain everything you need to know but they present it in the most inventive way so that people look, read and above all learn – a smart move when delivering information about the state of the environment.
Here are 5 of the best infographics out there right now which highlight some of the major environmental issues our world is facing today, and explain what you can do to help…
The loss of multiple habitats and species is shown in all of its terrible reality and the graphic reflects, with visual accuracy, the real impact of the destruction. The statistics are bleak and in being so, they open our eyes to the full extent of our planet being rapidly depleted. This is not an isolated or slow process.
By using a visual shock tactic, this infographic teaches us the importance of awareness and it is through knowing a situation that we are able to start doing something about it.
Collapsing Seas
The oceans of our planet are shown to be equally as important as the landmasses for the health of every ecosystem on earth. The problem is, we’re exploiting our oceans beyond what they can handle, destroying ecosystems essential to the health of this world.
We’re polluting it, acidifying it and contributing to its warming. This is leading to the next probable mass-extinction event: no food, an out-of-control atmosphere and a greatly reduced carbon-capture system. But there is hope.
Buy sustainably, recycle responsibly, reject destructive human activities and lobby against the desolation that ‘good living’ is bringing to our blue planet.
Climate and Weather
Our climate is changing and we are contributing to it. Scientists have known this for decades. Connecting the Dots illustrates this with a sparse punctuality by showing the direct link between climate change and the blatant extreme weather events that are prevalent around the world. Floods, heat waves, droughts, mega-storms; these are world-wide events that have been on the rise for years.
ClimateDots invites us to face reality and raise awareness, to act as a community to manage this changing world whether it’s 100% our fault or not.
Deforestation
The destruction of the world’s forests means we lose valuable resources but more importantly, the planet loses its ability to recover and manage the changes in our climate. The forests are unable to sustain extensive damage, and barren land leads to natural disasters including landslides and the disappearance of essential waterways. More forest is being lost than can be replaced.
RawGarden’s inforgraphic offers a means to reverse this devastation: support the FSC by buying and using only FSC certified products from responsibly and sustainably managed woodlands. We can stop this ruin by taking responsibility.
Buzzing Off
The decline in bee colonies is not isolated to the U.S. and neither are the consequences. The bees are disappearing and there is no single reason to account for it. Pollution, loss of flower diversity, poisoning through pesticides or a lethal parasite – whatever the cause, it means one simple thing.
No bees = no pollination = no food. If the bees vanish, we will lose the ability to produce the bulk of our fruits, vegetables and crops which means food demands will soar and we will, in the end, starve. It’s already happening in some areas of the world. By planting bee-friendly gardens, supporting local, organic bee produce, killing our pesticide use, and even starting our own colonies, we can save the bees.
Infographics pack a punch. They’re more effective than a dreary report because they offer a visible reality that can’t be seen in a table full of numbers. They have become and will continue to be one of the most valuable educational resources of the 21st Century.
Which environmental infographics hit the mark for you?
