Plain-language guides to global affairs & social impact
-
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals: What They Are and How Progress Is Tracked
A plain-language guide to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: how they work, how progress is tracked, and what the UN’s 2026 report says about the 2030 deadline.
Staff Picks
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals: What They Are and How Progress Is Tracked
Technology and Society: How Digital Tools Are Reshaping Public Life
Social Media and Democracy: Effects on Debate, Voting and Trust
Sustainability: Understanding Environmental Limits and Practical Solutions
Sustainable Agriculture: Methods That Protect Soil, Water and Farmers
The Renewable Energy Transition: Progress, Barriers and Trade-Offs
Remittances and Development: How Money Sent Home Shapes Economies
Microfinance: Benefits, Limits and What the Evidence Shows
Misinformation vs Disinformation: Differences, Examples and Warning Signs
Fast Fashion’s Environmental Footprint: Water, Waste and Emissions
A Just Transition: Protecting Workers and Communities in the Shift to Clean Energy
Human Development Index: How Countries Are Ranked and Why It Matters
How Foreign Aid Works: Funding Channels, Aims and Common Criticisms
Data Privacy Laws Compared: Rights People Have in Different Regions
The Digital Divide: Who Is Left Offline and What It Costs
Climate Adaptation vs Mitigation: Two Responses to a Warming World
The Circular Economy: Principles, Examples and Challenges
Clean Water Access Worldwide: Where the Gaps Are and Why
Algorithmic Bias: How Automated Systems Can Treat People Unfairly
Biodiversity Loss: Main Causes and Why Ecosystems Suffer
Carbon Footprints Explained: How They Are Measured and Reduced
Around the Table
-
A guide to technology and society built on ITU’s 2025 data: who is online, how connection quality, price and skills differ, and where to…
-
Large 2020 US experiments changed what people saw on Facebook and Instagram but found little short-term shift in polarization, voting or trust. Here is…
-
A guide to sustainability built on the UN Global Resources Outlook: where environmental limits lie, why resource use drives biodiversity and water stress, and…
-
Misinformation vs Disinformation: Differences, Examples and Warning Signs
Misinformation is false information shared without meaning harm; disinformation is shared knowingly to cause harm. Learn the difference, the third category of malinformation, and warning signs to check before you share.
Wander by topic
- Global Development (6)
- Sustainability (9)
- Technology & Society (6)
Fresh from the Journal
-
Sustainable Agriculture: Methods That Protect Soil, Water and Farmers
A plain-language guide to sustainable agriculture practices, based on FAO’s description of Conservation Agriculture: cover the…
-
The Renewable Energy Transition: Progress, Barriers and Trade-Offs
Renewable capacity hit a record in 2025, yet grids, storage, finance and uneven regional growth leave…
-
Fast Fashion’s Environmental Footprint: Water, Waste and Emissions
A sourced look at fast fashion’s footprint: emissions that outweigh flights and shipping, thirsty cotton, mounting…
-
A Just Transition: Protecting Workers and Communities in the Shift to Clean Energy
A plain-language guide to the just transition: what it means, where the idea comes from, what…
-
Climate Adaptation vs Mitigation: Two Responses to a Warming World
Mitigation cuts the greenhouse gases driving warming; adaptation prepares people and places for its effects. Here…
-
The Circular Economy: Principles, Examples and Challenges
A plain-English guide to the circular economy: the shift from take-make-waste, its three principles, company examples,…
-
Carbon Footprints Explained: How They Are Measured and Reduced
A plain-language guide to what a carbon footprint is, how it is calculated using carbon dioxide equivalent and emission scopes, where the…
