Desdemona's 50 Doomiest Graphs of 2010

[Barrett808]

The Graph of the Day feature comprises Desdemona’s assault on the left hemisphere of the brain, in the quixotic quest against delusional hope. This post complements the media barrage on the right hemisphere, 50 Doomiest Photos of 2010.

2010 yielded a torrent of new scientific data that documents the accelerating destruction of the biosphere, and Desdemona managed to capture a few graphs from the flood. Here are the most doom-laden graphs of 2010, chosen by scope, length of observational period, and sleekness of presentation. Open up your left hemisphere and drink in the data.

Americans’ Beliefs about the Evidence for Global Warming, by Departure of Local Weather from Normal Temperature in Week Prior to Survey. Egan and Mullin, 2009

Local weather’s effect on beliefs that Earth is getting warmer. Figure 3 displays the simple bivariate relationship between temperature and beliefs about the evidence for global warming. To summarize the relationship, the figure displays the best linear fit for the data along with a nonparametric smoother drawn with the lowess technique (Cleveland 1993). The figure shows a clear and substantial relationship between the two variables: as local temperatures rise above normal, so does the percentage of Americans believing that global warming is a reality. The smoother consistently traces the regression line, indicating that the relationship between the two variables is close to linear.

50 Doomiest Graphs of 2010

[baldguy]

1. This is your planet.

This is your planet on capitalism.

[GliderGuider]

2. I hear hoofbeats...

Must be horses, right? Couldn't be zebras. Nahhh...

"The Four Zebramen of the Apocalypse" just doesn't sound right.