I also don't understand how #EB8521 or #00BBC9 could outright fail even the Headlines test when they're so clearly legible, which makes me think maybe this WCAG standard is not what I really want to optimize for, thank you very much.
This is the luminosity of that mapped to grayscale. You can see why it might be difficult for colorblind people to read: https://i.imgur.com/Pyxt1NR.png
…to you, in (I assume) good or great viewing conditions. For other folks, and/or in challenging viewing conditions, they'll be significantly more difficult to read than higher-contrast options.
I can agree that WCAG guidelines are a bit harsh sometimes but it makes sure that everyone have a good chance to view the content. Eyes, colors & computers interact in complex ways.
Also, in many countries, by law, you have to follow WCAG, specially for the public sector.
If you are interested how and what values W3 have chosen you can read more here: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-enhance...
Don't fully understand what you mean by providing "color around the WCAG".
> Don't fully understand what you mean by providing "color around the WCAG".
I suppose that was a bad attempt at a pun... I've changed the wording slightly to make it more obvious ;-)