Richard Torble

This chart is a masterclass in how to make ordinary variation look like a crisis. The biggest problem? The y-axis starts at 500 instead of 0. That massively exaggerates the height differences between the bars, making a relatively modest increase in water demand look dramatic and alarming. 571 ML/d and 670 ML/d are only about a 17% difference — but visually the red bars appear almost twice as large as the green one. Then there’s the colour coding: 🟢 safe 🟡 warning 🟠 danger 🔴 crisis Those thresholds are arbitrary, but the design makes the audience feel like demand suddenly becomes catastrophic at 650. This is why data visualisation ethics matter. Charts shouldn’t be designed to manipulate emotion — they should help people understand reality accurately. A simple zero-based axis and neutral colours would tell the story honestly.