Data Journalism Top 10: Bats and the Next Pandemic, China’s Electric Battery Dominance, and Brazil’s Healthcare ‘Holes’

Reuters’ five-part data investigative series looked into areas where bats and humans increasingly interact — like West Africa — to offer a preview of where the next global pandemic may come from. Image: Screenshot, Reuters

The next global pandemic could come — yet again — from bats. This is the conclusion that Reuters presents in a five-part special investigation on the impacts of the destruction of the natural habitats of these animals and the consequent interactions with humans. This week, our look at the Top 10 in Data Journalism also highlights how China is dominating the battery market for electric cars, the differences between intention and reality in migration flows, and the “holes” in assistance offered by the Brazilian public health system.

Bats and the Next Pandemic

Bats are an important part of the world’s ecosystem: they help pollinate flowers and spread seeds, as well as keep control of insect populations. But they are also carriers of thousands of viruses, which despite being innocuous to the animals themselves, can end up harming the humans who are increasingly invading their habitats. In a five-part, first-of-its-kind project, Reuters spoke to scientists, read academic research, consulted disease-outbreak and environmental data, and traveled to places with high concentrations of bats to reveal the close proximity between humans and these animals and how this relationship could lead to yet another global health emergency. Reuters also focused on where potential outbreaks are most likely: Laos, China, India, Brazil, and West Africa – and why.

THREAD: I want to tell you a little background of our new series, which dates back to the summer of 2020 when COVID was raging around the world. My colleague Deb Nelson and I started talking about the next one and how to stop it. https://t.co/xNK2ItNshT

— Ryan McNeill (@McNeill_Tweets) May 16, 2023

China’s Electric Battery Dominance

Can the World Make an Electric Car Battery Without China? The answer to that question, according to The New York Times, is no. The race to produce electric vehicles has barely begun and China is already way ahead of everyone else, it concluded: “mining rare minerals, training engineers, and building huge factories — that the rest of the world may take decades to catch up.” In this piece, the newspaper visualizes how the Asian country controls each stage of lithium-ion battery production, with predominance over the necessary raw materials, and explains the advantages the country enjoys to produce cheaper components, such as lower labor costs and loose regulation.

Love to see how organizations come up with new ways to tell visually compelling stories.

This is a cute alternative by @nytimes. Normal stacked bars would've done the job but these little piles of elements are so CUTE!https://t.co/8Lh3LGH8Xi pic.twitter.com/VWcVXQC3Y1

— Mafe Callejón (@MafeCafe) May 16, 2023

Sustainable Fishing

The global fishing industry supports more than half a billion people worldwide, according to the Financial Times, so it’s important to think about the long-term sustainability of fisheries, not just for the preservation of the world’s ecosystems, but also as a source of income and food. On a global average, 15% of the protein that a person consumes comes from fish, a figure that reaches as high as 50% in some Asian countries. Since 1950, the amount of fish a person consumes has doubled, while the global population has more than tripled, which could represent a threat to our rivers and oceans. What are some possible solutions? In addition to aquaculture, or farmed fish, international cooperation and multilateral governance are important to ensure that fish stocks remain viable.

Simple, informative and impactful. Have a read! https://t.co/Z0HqU0t5rN

— Sophie Loca (@loca_sophie)