A 23-year-old Maine artist does the near-impossible: She makes climate change visually appealing. Jill Pelto has a knack for blending hard scientific data with the landscapes and critters it impacts in fascinating watercolor paintings.
Her art appears on the cover of the 2015 State of the Climate report, a thorough overview of climate change led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Though it includes some handy charts that explain the effects of climate change, the report isn’t generally stunning from an aesthetic standpoint.
The art for the new 2015 report is certainly a step up from the prior year:
(What is that?)
Pelto’s cover art turns graphs and datasets into something more approachable — even captivating.
![](https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/rtr3kgvn-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768)