Inequality
For Health Equity, Location Matters
A special package explores problems and solutions to the geography of injustice
Inequality105 articles archived since 1845
Climate Change
World Governments Recommit to 2030 Goals to Save Humanity
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres is proposing a $500-billion annual stimulus package to meet the Sustainable Development Goals to preserve the environment and end poverty and hunger...
Inequality
The Father of Environmental Justice Reflects on the Movement He Helped to Start
Four decades into his activism, Robert Bullard looks back on his legacy and the work ahead.
Climate Change
Climate Change Is Hindering Global Growth and Prosperity, U.N. Says
In the five decades between 1970 and 2021, extreme climate events caused more than two million deaths and led to economic losses of $4.3 trillion, 60 percent of which occurred in developing countries, a U.N...
Climate Change
Lethal Heat Is Spreading across the Planet
Since 1970 more than 350 weather stations have experienced at least one six-hour period of a potentially deadly combination of heat and humidity. Scientists expect these episodes will increase as temperatures rise...
Climate Change
Nearly 500 Neighborhoods Prone to Climate Disasters Will Get Extra Money for Resilience
U.S. census tracts with high exposure to climate impacts will get extra federal funds to build resilience
Climate Change
Half the World’s Population Faced Extreme Heat for at Least 30 Days This Summer
Nearly every person on the planet saw high temperatures that were made at least twice as likely by climate change this summer
Policy
Algorithms Are Making Important Decisions. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Seemingly trivial differences in training data can skew the judgments of AI programs—and that’s not the only problem with automated decision-making
Climate Change
As Heat Waves Worsen, Federal Aid Is Insufficient to Fund Cooling Needs
Many states prioritize using money from a federal energy assistance program for low-income people to defray energy costs for heating rather than cooling bills
Climate Change
A Crisis of Isolation Is Making Heat Waves More Deadly
As extreme heat worsens, cities are exploring ways to reach isolated individuals before it’s too late
Artificial Intelligence
AI Causes Real Harm. Let’s Focus on That over the End-of-Humanity Hype
Effective regulation of AI needs grounded science that investigates real harms, not glorified press releases about existential risks
Economics
Unregulated AI Will Worsen Inequality, Warns Nobel-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz
A Nobel laureate in economics explains how artificial intelligence will affect inequality—and how solutions such as a shorter work week might mitigate its negative effects
Inequality
Women Experience Greater Burdens from Extreme Heat
Women in the U.S., India and Nigeria are losing money, economic opportunities and their health as temperatures rise
Defense
This Lost Woman of the Manhattan Project Saw the Deadly Effects of Nuclear Radiation Up Close
Floy Agnes Lee came to Los Alamos, N.M., in 1945 knowing nothing of the top secret work on the atomic bomb happening all around her—but she studied the blood of the researchers who did...
Climate Change
Increasing Power Outages Don’t Hit Everyone Equally
Some of the most vulnerable communities in the U.S. live in places that are particularly prone to frequent, prolonged power outages
Epidemiology
Why Maternal Mortality Rates Are Getting Worse across the U.S.
A new study shows U.S. maternal mortality rates are increasing, and health care providers and advocacy groups are racing to build better care for new parents
Inequality
Discrimination May Hasten Menopause in Black and Hispanic Women
Researchers say understanding differences in when menopause starts in racial and ethnic groups can help with screening and preventive care
Ethics
Draconian Laws Deter Pregnant Women from Treating Drug Abuse
In some states, punitive drug laws require physicians to report a pregnant person with a substance use disorder, leading to the removal of their child after birth
Inequality
Sexual Harassment Still Pervades Science
How academic institutions can prevent sexual harassment and protect scientists
Inequality
Death Rates among Black People in the U.S. Are Rising after Falling
Researchers hope their work on racial health disparities will be a “call to action”
