For the first time in its 176-year history, The Economist is dedicating its weekly edition to one subject: climate change. In addition to the cover, lead article and briefing, every section of the September 21, 2019 edition of the newspaper will include an article on climate change. […]

The red and blue stripes appearing on “the climate issue” cover are a data visualisation representing the world’s average temperature for every year from 1850 to 2018 compared with the average in 1971-2000. Blue years are cooler; red ones are warmer. — The Economist, via PR Newswire

The graphic was devised by Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at the University of Reading. Hawkins also made a website named #ShowYourStripes where one can view and download similar graphics for virtually every country. They are free to use. On the occasion of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, several other newspapers featured the “Warming Stripes”, too, including the Guardian, Público, and Folha de S.Paolo.

The fonts in use on the Economist cover are FF Milo Serif (Mike Abbink) and Econ Sans, a customized version of Halifax (Dieter Hofrichter). Selected by Edenspiekermann, they were introduced as part of the newspaper’s redesign in October 2018, and replaced the previously used New Eco (Text and Headline) and ITC Officina Display.