Hello and welcome to another edition of The Crunch!
In this week’s newsletter we have charts on strangers talking for 30 minutes, the unequal distribution of AI computing, when different European countries go on holiday, how dependent European countries are on US arms sales, various maps and charts about war in the Middle East, and more.
But first, the Australian gas project that will result in more greenhouse gases than some entire countries
Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project on the Burrup peninsula in Western Australia is one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas ventures.
In May the Labor government approved an extension for the project to run for an additional 40 years, from 2030 to 2070.
The extension is expected to be responsible for about 87.9m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year in the decades ahead, after the gas has been exported and burned. Our latest One Big Chart puts that number into context.
Four charts from the fortnight
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1. The global AI divide
This chart from the New York Times shows how the AI boom is unevenly distributed, with certain countries and companies dominating the market for AI datacentres:
You can read more here.
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2. How Europe’s militaries depend on the US
Europe’s militaries still overwhelmingly rely on US-made weapons and equipment, according to Guardian analysis of stockpile data that raises doubts about ambitions for European-led rearmament.
This visual analysis by my colleague Alex Clark shows the source of arms sales to European countries over the years, in the context of the US pushing for increased military spending by Nato members.
Check out the full piece for more charts and analysis.
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3. ♪ We’re all going on a summer holiday ♪
Consider this chart a mental holiday from the rest of news. Sebastian Gräff from the European Correspondent has visualised when holidays peak in different European countries:
Northern European countries go on holiday earlier, with breaks more spread out, while southern European countries go on holiday later, and with holiday times more concentrated over the same weeks.
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4. It’s a big inflation-burger
The winners of the Information is Beautiful awards have been announced, and this piece from the ABC in Australia took out the silver in the Business Analytics category.
We have featured this piece before, but it reminded me again of how much I liked it!
You think you’re getting a straightforward explainer about inflation (which you are), but then it turns into an illustration of how multinational companies are able to manipulate intellectual property payments to themselves to send money offshore.
Spotlight on … war in the Middle East
How effective was the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites? A visual guide
Mideast conflict imperils a tiny waterway vital to the world economy
Off the Charts
It’s another banger by Alvin Chang for the Pudding! This visual essay illustrates the participants and effects of an experiment which paid participants to have a 30-minute conversation with a complete stranger.
It is fascinating, and I love the ASCII art style.
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