Why world leaders are meeting to discuss hydrofluorocarbons
IN 1985 a gaping hole was found in the ozone layer above Antarctica. Two years later leaders from around the world signed the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to phase out the substances causing it, known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigeration and as propellants in products such …
Europe’s health systems on life support
Europe’s health care systems aren’t feeling very well. Doctors have been threatening massive strikes in Britain to protest pay and conditions. Italian regions are going bankrupt trying to fund medicines. Drugmakers are pulling diabetes drugs from Germany, blaming government-set prices that don’t let…
Mohammed VI and the Choice Facing Islam
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has done his countrymen, his co-religionists, and the world a favor with his recent speech on the 63rd anniversary of the “Revolution of the King and the People.” During what is normally an annual event unlikely to garner much attention outside the kingdom …
21st Century Health, Education, Development, and Global Security
Health and education are essential for sustainable development across low-, middle-, and high-income economies. Health, education, and development in a well-integrated cluster are the sine qua non building blocks of global security. Huge economic, health, and educational disparities abound…
More than half of all businesses ignore UN’s sustainable development goals
Businesses are failing to work on the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), according to two new surveys, despite being billed as having a key role to play in achieving the ambitious goals. With an estimated investment gap of at least $3tn annually across the SDGs for the next 15 year…
Escaping the New Normal of Weak Growth
There is no question that the recovery from the global recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis has been unusually lengthy and anemic. Some still expect an upswing in growth. But, eight years after the crisis erupted, what the global economy is experiencing is starting to look less like a sl…
People, Productivity and Potential: Nutrition as a cornerstone of the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted last year are already changing not only what we focus on in health and development – but also how we approach these challenges and opportunities. It is now recognized that the goals are interconnected – the success of each one is closely connected to …
How Los Alamos Is Learning to Track Disease Outbreaks Around the World
In the 14th century, the Black Death devastated Europe. This bacterial disease killed some 200 million people, almost two-thirds of the Europeans then alive. Preventing the spread of the disease became an urgent public health issue, particularly for ports such as Venice. So the Venetian Republi…
A Different Kind of UN Secretary General
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s final time presiding over the conclave of world leaders coming to speak in New York at the United Nations General Assembly is proving to be a disappointing, lackluster conclusion to his term in office. President Barack Obama delivered a valedictory address that implic…
The World Passes 400 PPM Threshold. Permanently
In the centuries to come, history books will likely look back on September 2016 as a major milestone for the world’s climate. At a time when atmospheric carbon dioxide is usually at its minimum, the monthly value failed to drop below 400 parts per million. That all but ensures that 2016 will be the …