Global Development
How to be a techno-optimist
Technology will not save the world, and it is inherently neither good nor bad. But, when tech is coupled to human virtue, good will prevail.
This starchy wondercrop could help alleviate food insecurity
Enset, a perennial banana-like fruit cultivated in southwestern Ethiopia, is an underexploited starch crop with significant potential.
Why Africa’s newest super-bridge is in the continent’s weirdest border zone
The Kazungula Bridge has turned a cartographic near-miss into a geopolitical marvel, with a chance to renew Africa's economy.
Where does the plastic in our oceans come from?
Which countries and rivers emit the most plastic to the ocean? What does this mean for solutions to tackle plastic pollution?
We need to know about progress if we’re concerned about the world’s large problems
Our World in Data explains their mission to publish the “research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems.”
Longtermism’s perspective on humanity’s past, present, and future
If we manage to avoid a large catastrophe, we can see ourselves as living at the early beginnings of human history.
What the world will look like in the year 250,002,018
On Pangaea Proxima, the supercontinent of the future, Cape Town and Mexico City are just a day’s drive apart.
Surprise in death data: Malaria has a U-shaped death curve
Better death records can reveal surprises about common killers like malaria — and help save lives.
Combining crops and solar panels is allowing Kenya to “harvest the sun twice”
The panels are mounted high enough for crops to be grown underneath, sheltering them from the sun and allowing rainwater harvesting.
Elon Musk: Europe should revive nuclear energy
The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Europe's dependence on Russia for fossil fuels. Is more nuclear energy the solution?