Data Vis Dispatch, March 21

Today marks the first day of spring this year, and it's finally starting to feel that way outside too — at least where we are! Does spring arrive earlier each year? Well, it depends on where you live and what you look for.

But spring isn't the only important arrival this week. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations' expert body for assessing climate change, published its latest report calling for urgent action.

The temperatures are already changing and there's a need to follow through on ambitious energy transition plans.

Meanwhile, humanity is struggling with (even small-scale) deforestation, unusual deaths of whales, and insufficient standards for drinking water.

While the war continues in Ukraine, Europe makes plans to extend its fenced borders with Russia.

And the U.S.-Mexican border has become fatal for a record number of migrants in the past few years.

Yesterday, March 20, also marked the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

March has been an especially dramatic month for the banking sector, from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to the selling of Credit Suisse.

Other notable charts of the week covered proportional representation in parliaments, a shocking (and very specific) surge in car thefts, the four-day workweek, and popular dog breeds.