大象传媒

Driest year in recorded history for many areas of California: 2013

Percentage by which California Gov. Jerry Brown asked Californians to voluntarily reduce water use in January 2014: 20 1

Actual percentage reduction in water use in California between January and May 2014: 5 2

Amount Americans are projected to spend per day eating out in restaurants in 2014: $1.8 billion 3

Percentage of American adults who don’t know how to cook as of 2011: 28 4

Percentage of all adult American consumers at least 18 years old who report still calling their moms for cooking advice: 35 5

Number of rubber ducks in the world’s largest collection at the last official count in April 2011: 5,631 6

Estimated number of rubber ducks in the collection as of June 2014: 7,000 7

 Number of nonfatal violent and property hate crimes against persons 12 and older in 2004: 281,670 

Number of nonfatal violent and property hate crimes against persons 12 and older in 2012: 293,800

 Percentage of victims who perceived crimes were motivated by ethnicity bias in 2004: 22

Percentage of victims who perceived crimes were motivated by ethnicity bias in 2012: 51 8

 Percentage of children ages 3–5 below the federal poverty level with untreated tooth decay: 25

Percentage of children ages 3–5 above the federal poverty level with untreated tooth decay: 10.5 9

 Percentage of coffee growing area affected by leaf rust in Central America, highest since first appearance in 1976: 53 10

Estimated number of jobs lost in Central America because of leaf rust between 2012 and 2013: 394,000

Total amount Central America lost because of leaf rust between 2012 and 2013: $500 million 11

Value of Central American unroasted coffee imported to the United States in 2013: $1 billion 12

 Drop in ocean’s pH level since start of Industrial Revolution: 0.1

Percentage increase of acidity represented by this drop: 30 13

Percentage of acidity increase by the end of this century if current carbon emissions continue: 150 14

 Percentage of Americans without health insurance as of September 2013, the highest since Gallup began tracking the statistic in 2008: 18

Percentage of Americans without health insurance as of June 2014, the lowest since Gallup tracking began: 13.415 15

Total number of newly insured Americans since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law: 15 million 16

Sources:

3. National Geographic, May 2014. 7. Personal communication with collection owner.

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Dana Drugmand is a freelance journalist specializing in climate change, clean energy, and citizen activism. She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Law & Policy with a certificate in Climate Law from Vermont Law School.

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Yessenia Funes covers environmental justice for Earther. She is a former associate editor at 大象传媒

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