"State of the planet, in graphics"

For a quick understanding of lots of statistics, I find this page on BBC News interesting. It contains graphs from the UN's 2008 Global Environment Outlook report, highlighting a variety of trends at the intersection of humans and the environment. In particular, the map of the world's access to drinking water got my attention (you have to scroll down a bit). I knew parts of Africa have significant water issues; I didn't realize that very nearly all of Africa had insufficient drinking water. Nor did I realize how much of Asia and South America are similarly troubled. The other graphs are interesting, too. A picture really does say a thousand words.

-Nancy Michaelis