30 Jan 2021
Andrew Pickens
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President-elect Joe Biden has outlined a nationwide goal for the United States to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and reach net-zero emission by mid-century. Doing so would move the country from its current 40% renewable energy mix to a completely decarbonized electricity sector. The administration will have to balance expected plant retirements in the…
19 Oct 2020
ORF
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The theory of punctuated equilibrium suggests that change and evolution, far from being gradual, occurs in short bursts of time, often accelerated by drastic and stressful external shocks. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus promises to do just that. The global response to the novel coronavirus will not only accelerate the process of digitalisation,…
Tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. It kills many of its users, 80 percent of whom live in low-and middle-income countries. One of the six primary tactics adopted by the WHO to counter the tobacco epidemic is promoting cessation – asking people to quit tobacco use. But achieving high levels…
24 Sep 2020
Ashwin Ahmad
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The recently held summit between China and the European Union showed all too well the souring of the relationship. From the European side, the inability of Beijing to offer ‘reciprocity’ and ‘basic fairness’ when it came to opening up the Chinese market to European goods was just part of the reason why the one day…
2 Sep 2020
Priti Patnaik
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Vaccines for COVID-19 are not yet a reality, but plans are afoot to enable trading in stocks of potential vaccines. Gavi says the plan will allow countries to exchange vaccines doses with each other, allowing each economy to optimise to their own needs. In order to get a firm commitment from rich countries to commit…
26 Aug 2020
Barbara Mennitti
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An article published in The Lancet linking lung diseases to e-cigarettes has triggered reactions in the scientific community that supports tobacco harm reduction policies. Riccardo Polosa, Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Catania (Italy) and Founder of the Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (COEHAR) believes that “the authors…
12 Aug 2020
Derek Yach
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Imagine the outrage if an international non-governmental organization (NGO) focusing on drug abuse called for naloxone manufacturers to not sell their products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on grounds that it would confuse regulators and the public, suggesting instead that they focus on ending opioid abuse using only regulatory and educational approaches? How would…