Global Development
In an increasingly globalized world, international development efforts aim to improve living conditions, equity, and human rights around the world. Our global development section tracks this globalization and reports on specific equitable and sustainable development initiatives.
AI has helped design the chickpea of all chickpeas
AI has helped humans achieve a lot of things; from predicting seizures, to completing Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony. Its latest endeavor: designing the ultimate chickpea. Although these pulses are a thoroughly understood crop, the genome of most varieties is not well sequenced. An Read More...
7 Reasons to sign your teen up for Model UN
Following the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, your child may be asking some questions about what exactly the UN is and how they can get involved in advocating for a better world through diplomacy. Fortunately, Model UN (MUN) programs in school are a perfect place for young adults to get Read More...
7 takeaways from COP26
The 26th annual United Nations climate change summit has officially come to a close. We shared a few updates along the way about coal pledges, carbon-neutral countries, and Indigenous forest protection, but now that COP26 is wrapped up, let’s take a broader look at what the summit Read More...
Could ‘universal basic mobility’ end youth disconnection?
The concept of universal basic income (UBI) is being tested in cities around the world to explore how no-strings-attached payments can improve standards of living for vulnerable individuals. Now, some cities are looking beyond payments and embracing “universal basic mobility” as another Read More...
US launches first-of-its-kind environmental justice investigation
Public health departments have a responsibility to operate waste management in a safe, uniform, and equitable manner, but for years, sewage overflows have plagued Alabama’s Lowndes County, predominantly affecting Black residents. To address this injustice, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Read More...
NASA's multi-pronged approach to the next 10 years of space exploration
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey is carried out every decade to discuss and prioritize upcoming projects of federal agencies and policymakers for the next 10 years. A panel of global experts is carefully curated by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine to come Read More...
Over 40 countries pledge to shift away from coal during COP26
During the COP26 climate summit, more than 40 countries have pledged to move away from coal, one of the biggest contributors to climate change. This is a major win for the environment, even though some of the world’s biggest coal-dependent countries, such as the US, India, and China, opted out Read More...
This elite group of countries is already carbon negative
As the COP26 climate conference continues this week, all eyes are on countries’ plans to achieve their net-zero emissions goals. For most nations, this accomplishment is slated for 2045 or 2050, but for a select few, carbon neutrality is not on their mindsーbecause they’re already carbon Read More...
COP26 announces $1.7 billion funding for Indigenous forest protection
Indigenous communities play a vital role in environmental preservation, and to bolster the power of Indigenous wisdom in conservation, the governments of the UK, US, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands have announced a $1.7 billion funding pledge to support Indigenous peoples in reversing forest Read More...
COP26: Over 100 countries pledge to stop deforestation
The COP26 climate conference is in full swing and is celebrating its first big achievement: A pledge from more than 100 countries to end deforestation. The participating countries, which represent more than 85 percent of the world’s forests, have committed to ending and reversing deforestation Read More...