Volcanoes are erupting in The Philippines, but on-fire Australia received some welcome rain. The Iran war cries have been called off and The Donald’s military powers are about to be hamstrung by the Senate. Meanwhile, his impeachment trial is starting, and we’re all on Twitter for a front-row seat.
Author: Molly Bergen
09/09/2021
COVAX Was a Great Idea, But Is Now 500 Million Doses Short of Its Vaccine Distribution Goals. What Exactly Went Wrong?
In January 2020, world leaders and industry titans gathered in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos conference. Much of the conversation centered around the mysterious new coronavirus that had emerged in Wuhan, China, a month earlier, and had at that point infected nearly 300 people in four countries.
09/10/2021
We’ve Made Progress on Climate – but it’s Time to Accelerate
A decade ago the world seemed on track for a dark climate future. Global emissions were increasing at a rate of 3% per year, China was building a new coal plant every three days, and the idea that global emissions could double or even triple by the end of the century did not seem particularly far-fetched.
09/15/2021
‘Words matter’: the campaign to change the language of maternity care
A glossary of more ‘empowering’ phrases about motherhood is being made available to health professionals, to help them frame conversations around fertility, pregnancy and loss.
09/15/2021
The E.U. adopts a new strategy to counter future pandemics
The European Union announced on Wednesday the creation of a new biomedical authority designed to better respond to future pandemics, as it seeks to avoid repeating the mistakes that plagued its early response to the coronavirus.
09/15/2021
Cheap covid-19 antibody test shows if you have immunity in 5 minutes
A cheap 5-minute test can accurately determine whether you have had covid-19 in the past or determine whether you have protection from a vaccine by detecting antibodies in blood or saliva.
09/15/2021
Most CO2 from Australia’s megafires has been offset by algal blooms
Most of the carbon dioxide released by Australia’s extreme wildfires of 2019-2020 has already been sucked out of the atmosphere by giant ocean algal blooms that were seeded by the nutrient-rich ash, a surprising new study suggests – though it is unclear how long this carbon capture will last.
09/13/2021
Corporations tried to blame you for the plastic crisis. Now states are turning the tables.
As recycling heads to the dump, Maine and Oregon have a new strategy: Make companies pay.
09/10/2021
Twenty years on—is the era of American interventionism over?
The Economist's James Bennet traces Joe Biden’s shifting views on foreign wars. We look back to the origins of humanitarian interventionism in Bosnia. And, Anne-Marie Slaughter, former aide to Barack Obama and author of “Renewal”, tells us how American power might work in the future.
09/14/2021
Win for Malaysian forest after government backs down on development plan
Activists in Malaysia are celebrating an unprecedented U-turn by the Selangor state government after it cancelled plans last week to develop the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve.
08/12/2021
Greece transitions power market to lure renewables investors
The Greek renewable energy market is set for a wave of new development and investment, as high power prices and generous subsidies lure international players.
09/14/2021
America is substantially reducing poverty among children
It seemed like a blustery overpromise when President Joe Biden pledged in July to oversee “the largest ever one-year decrease in child poverty in the history of the United States”. By the end of the year, however, he will probably turn out to have been correct.
09/06/2021