Data Vis Dispatch, August 19: Clean energy, heat risks, and more wildfires

Welcome back to the 206th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Recurring topics this week include clean energy developments, heat wave risks, and ongoing wildfires in Europe.

We're starting this week's edition with some assuring charts about the state of clean energy:

Ember: <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/marking-five-years-of-ember-with-five-charts-on-the-global-energy-transition/"><strong>Marking five years of Ember with five charts on the global energy transition</strong></a>, August 13 — Ember: **Marking five years of Ember with five charts on the global energy transition**, August 13

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/08/14/climate/china-clean-energy-patents.html"><strong>How China Went From Clean Energy Copycat to Global Innovator</strong></a>, August 14 — The New York Times: **How China Went From Clean Energy Copycat to Global Innovator**, August 14

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9e49fa5a-d43e-4c32-80ff-68a3ce1ede5e"><strong>British solar power surges past 2024 total</strong></a>, August 18 — Financial Times: **British solar power surges past 2024 total**, August 18

Although the conditions for solar have been great this year, heat waves and their health risks are an ever-present source of alarm:

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2025/08/15/which-are-the-deadliest-european-cities-in-a-heatwave"><strong>Which are the deadliest European cities in a heatwave?</strong></a>, August 15 — The Economist: **Which are the deadliest European cities in a heatwave?**, August 15

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/world/europe/heat-waves-france-air-conditioning.html"><strong>As Europe’s Heat Waves Intensify, France Bickers About Air-Conditioning</strong></a>, August 12 — The New York Times: **As Europe’s Heat Waves Intensify, France Bickers About Air-Conditioning**, August 12

The summer's extreme heat also leads to wildfire:

Diario Sur: <a href="https://www.diariosur.es/sociedad/cronologia-semana-tragica-incendios-gestado-fuegos-devastadores-20250814181029-ntrc.html"><strong>Cronología de las semanas más trágicas de incendios: así se transforman los fuegos más devastadores</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Chart title: Moving average of hectares burned in the last decade</em>], August 14 — Diario Sur: **Cronología de las semanas más trágicas de incendios: así se transforman los fuegos más devastadores** [*Chart title: Moving average of hectares burned in the last decade*], August 14

Steven Bernard / Financial Times: "Animation showing fires detected across Europe since July 15 […]," August 15 (Bluesky, Article)

Here are two charts on football to break up the weather news:

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-premier-league-football-kit-sponsors/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>How Gambling Sponsors Took Over the Premier League</strong></a>, August 15 — Bloomberg: **How Gambling Sponsors Took Over the Premier League**, August 15

Der Spiegel: <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fussball-der-frauen-warum-der-dfb-den-anschluss-verliert-a-d8688b24-d5c6-4f71-878f-c19fce3fac2f"><strong>Der DFB verliert den Anschluss</strong></a> [<em>The DFB is losing ground</em>], August 13 — Der Spiegel: **Der DFB verliert den Anschluss** [*The DFB is losing ground*], August 13

And we found more good work on hurricanes, migration to Europe, and AI's impact on R&D:

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNfZS6iOiWH/?img_index=1"><strong>How close do they get?</strong></a>, August 18 — The European Correspondent: **How close do they get?**, August 18

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/MIGRATION-EUROPE/MEDITERRANEAN/myvmxjemwpr/"><strong>Stranded at sea</strong></a>, August 19 <span class="badge">Great report</span> — Reuters: **Stranded at sea**, August 19 Great report

McKinsey & Company: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/week-in-charts/r-and-d-recharged-by-ai"><strong>R&D recharged by AI</strong></a>, August 12 — McKinsey & Company: **R&D recharged by AI**, August 12

What else we found interesting

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/08/12/gpt5-chart-crimes-claude-graphs/"><strong>The AI industry is awash in hype, hyperbole and horrible charts</strong></a>, August 12 <span class="badge">Painful to look at</span> — The Washington Post: **The AI industry is awash in hype, hyperbole and horrible charts**, August 12 Painful to look at

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/08/14/world/europe/putin-russia-ukraine-war-resurgence.html"><strong>Why Putin Thinks Russia Has the Upper Hand</strong></a>, August 14 — The New York Times: **Why Putin Thinks Russia Has the Upper Hand**, August 14

The Pudding: dicing onions, August 14 Deliciously nerdy

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Data Vis Dispatch, August 19: Clean energy, heat risks, and more wildfires

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