Why the pie chart is king in climate change

Andrew Lee
4 August 2023

It has often been said that anything can be said using statistics. That is to say, that you can manipulate statistics in any way to prove any point. There is no doubt that there are wildly statisticians, but presenting data in simple ways often shows the greatest truths.

The pie chart is an essential tool to understand in climate change, because its function is to show the size and scale of things in relation to others. Whilst the most commonly shown climate change graph is one of temperatures rising over the years; and whilst this is a critically important graph, understanding things such as: where is the greatest impact; who is responsible for releasing the most greenhouse gases; what country per head of population is the greater emitter of greenhouse gases etc, are all best shown on pie charts. 

The pie charts helps the viewer to determine priorities and impacts, which is of course of central importance to climate action. 

Climate change is a complex issue, and so, in order to understand it, there is much that needs to be put into context. This is why, the pie chart is so important.