World Development News

July 10, 2016

Global Economic Downturn Linked to Cancer Deaths

Globally, More Obese Than Underweight

Severe Water Stress Likely in Asia by 2050

Global Nitrogen Footprint Mapped for First Time

Latest Headlines

updated 12:33pm EDT

Viral Hepatitis Kills as Many as Malaria, TB or HIV/AIDS, Finds Study

July 7, 2016 — Viral hepatitis has become one of the leading causes of death and disability across the globe -- killing at least as many people annually as TB, malaria or HIV/AIDS. This is the finding of new ... read more

700-Year-Old West African Soil Technique Could Help Mitigate Climate Change

June 16, 2016 — A 700-year-old fertile soil technique could mitigate climate change and revolutionize farming across Africa, say researchers. They discovered that the ancient West African method of adding charcoal ... read more

New Insights Into California Electricity Crisis May Help Prevent Future Crises

June 16, 2016 — Between 2000 and 2001, California experienced the biggest electricity crisis in the US since World War II. Exactly how it happened, however, is ... read more

Study Investigates Why Blacks Have Higher Risk of Cognitive Impairment

May 31, 2016 — Social and economic disadvantages play a significant role in why blacks face a much higher risk than whites of developing cognitive impairment later in life, indicates an American ... read more

Expert Urges Voluntary Family Planning to Mitigate Climate Change

May 27, 2016 — A professor calls for action to tackle the effect of a rapidly growing world population on greenhouse ... read more

Unmet Surgical Needs High for World's 60 Million Refugees

May 26, 2016 — The world’s estimated 60 million refugees, displaced from their homes due to conflict, persecution or human rights violations, may need at least 2.78 million surgeries a year, something thought to ... read more

Poor Countries to Bear Brunt of Climate Change Despite Emitting Least Carbon Dioxide

May 16, 2016 — Many of the world's poorest countries are expected to experience daily heat extremes due to climate change sooner than wealthier nations. New ... read more

Paris Climate Agreement Cannot Be Met Without Emissions Reduction Target for Agriculture

May 17, 2016 — Scientists have calculated, for the first time, the extent to which agricultural emissions must be reduced to meet the Paris climate agreement's plan ... read more

Post-Conflict Reconciliation Led to Societal Healing, but Worsened Psychological Health

May 12, 2016 — Reconciliation programs promote societal healing, but that these gains come at the cost of reduced psychological health, ... read more

Migrant Money Puts Aid in the Shade

May 12, 2016 — International remittances have poverty and inequality-reducing effects in Sub-Saharan Africa, new research suggests. The results suggest that a 10% increase in remittances as share of gross domestic ... read more

India Seeks 'climate Justice' For Poor Nations at Paris Talks

New Yorkers Rally for New UN Climate and Poverty Goals

Obama and Pope Address Climate Change and Poverty at White House

Pope's Latin American Tour Ties Climate Change To Poverty

Europe: Don't Adopt Australian Style Immigration System, Warn Ethicists

June 27, 2016 — European countries should not adopt Australia's immigration system, with its emphasis on deterrence, warn ethicists in a new ... read more

Absent Investments, 200 Million Children May Not Reach Their Potential, Experts Say

June 16, 2016 — Thirty-one academic experts in children's health argue that absent urgent action by international aid agencies, 200 million children around the world could sustain serious, lifelong cognitive ... read more

Team Highlights Ways to Address Global Food System Challenges

May 6, 2016 — A new study presents strategies to address the complex challenges of producing food for a growing global population, while reducing environmental impacts and increasing resilience in the face of ... read more

What Can We Expect Next in the Long History of Lead Poisoning in the US?

May 2, 2016 — While state and federal officials continue to criticize each other for failing to guarantee safe drinking water, the question of exactly who is responsible for crises like in Flint, Michigan, lies at ... read more

Demographic Changes Increase the Risk of Natural Fires

May 2, 2016 — In many parts of the world, grass and forest fires pose a threat to animals and humans. According to a new study from Sweden, while climate change is likely to cause more and larger fires, in the ... read more

Milestone in the Battle Against Arsenic And Fluoride-Contaminated Drinking Water

Apr. 28, 2016 — Over 300 million people worldwide use groundwater contaminated with arsenic or fluoride as a source of drinking water. Now a research team has developed a method whereby the risk of contamination in ... read more

Landscape Ecology Must Play a Role in Policymaking

Apr. 27, 2016 — Landscape ecology considers the influence of time and space on environmental patterns. Because of this focus, it is uniquely positioned to inform crucial policy decisions -- in particular, those ... read more

Global Snapshot of Indigenous Peoples Health Released

Apr. 21, 2016 — A world-first study into the health and wellbeing of more than 154 million indigenous and tribal people globally reveals the extent of work that needs to be done if the United Nations is to meet its ... read more

Grassroots Tactics Could Improve Global Environmental Policies

Apr. 20, 2016 — Much of the world may cringe as lemurs are hunted and killed or when entire forests are burnt and harvested for charcoal. However, if local residents don't perceive the actions as crimes or they ... read more

Drinking Water: Carbon Pricing Revenues Could Close Infrastructure Gaps

Apr. 14, 2016 — More than 700 million people worldwide have no running water. A new study shows that a tax on carbon dioxide could help remedy this situation while contributing considerably to climate ... read more

Global Spending on Health Is Expected to Increase to $18.28 Trillion Worldwide by 2040

Apr. 14, 2016 — Global inequities in health spending are expected to persist and intensify over the next 25 years, according to a new study that estimates total health financing in countries around the ... read more

Growth in Maternal, Child Health Funding Outpaces Spending on HIV, TB, and Malaria

Apr. 14, 2016 — Funding earmarked for improving maternal and child health in low- and middle-income countries has grown faster since 2010 than funding for HIV, TB, and malaria, according to new ... read more

Global Studies Reveal Health Financing Crisis Facing Developing Countries

Apr. 13, 2016 — Two major studies reveal the health financing crisis facing developing countries as a result of low domestic investment and stagnating international aid, which could leave millions of people without ... read more

Ditch 'Colonial' Thinking to Boost Access to Surgery for World's Poor, Rich Nations Told

Apr. 7, 2016 — Rich nations 'must abandon colonial narratives' and work alongside low and middle income countries to boost access to safe and affordable surgery for the world's poor, concludes an ... read more

Reducing Food Waste Could Help Mitigate Climate Change

Apr. 7, 2016 — About a tenth of overall global greenhouse-gas emissions from agriculture could be traced back to food waste by mid-century, a new study shows. A team of researchers, for the first time, provides ... read more

Despite Being 'the Biggest Threat Facing Humanity' Climate Change and Its Impacts Fail to Make Headlines, Says Study

Apr. 6, 2016 — Even as 60 million people around the world face severe hunger because of El Niño and millions more because of climate change, top European and American media outlets are neglecting to cover the ... read more

US National Security Decision-Making Processes Need Trimming

Apr. 5, 2016 — A leaner, more-focused national security decision-making system can help the United States succeed in a period of tumultuous change, according to a new report. Increasing the effectiveness and ... read more

Household Food Insecurity at Record High in the North, Say Canadian Researchers

Apr. 5, 2016 — Despite anti-poverty efforts, hunger in Canada has not decreased, and it has now reached epidemic levels in Nunavut, where almost half of households suffer from food insecurity, according to a new ... read more

Radical Solution Could Avoid Depletion of Natural Resources

Apr. 5, 2016 — A radical approach to managing natural resources could target the problem of their over-exploitation, such as in forests or fisheries, according to a new ... read more

Effect of Economic Crisis on Birth Outcome in Spain

Apr. 5, 2016 — The unprecedented post-war European economic crisis which began in 2007 and the resulting fiscal austerity policies are generally considered to have had a negative impact on public health. A new ... read more

Monday, June 27, 2016