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Politiker bör inte applåderas för att de säger sådant som låter trevligt, utan när de är beredda att genomdriva politik som har riktig effekt. Statsvetaren Bjørn Lomborg i Elvakaffet om hur man hjälper regeringar att få ut mest effekt för pengarna, det problematiska med orealistiska mål, om kritiken han får från sina motståndare och varför världen tveklöst kommer att vara en bättre plats om 20 år.

Al Gore wdał się niedawno w wiele mówiącą sprzeczkę z dziennikarzem. Ross Clark ze „Spectatora” chciał spytać go o podnoszenie się poziomu wód morza w Miami, sugerowane w jego nowym filmie “An Inconvenient Sequel”. Dziennikarz zaczął wyjaśniać, że konsultował się z specjalistą w kwestii poziomu morza z Florida International University, Shimonem Wdowinskim. Gore odpowiedział: “Nigdy o nim nie słyszałem – czy jest negacjonistą?” A potem zapytał dziennikarza: „Czy pan jest negacjonistą?”

Nella lotteria della vita, nascere femmina in un Paese povero ti pone in una condizione di doppio svantaggio. Nei Paesi poveri le donne sono il gruppo demografico che presenta la maggiore incidenza globale di povertà, oltre alle peggiori condizioni di salute, il minor accesso all’istruzione e la più alta probabilità di essere vittime di violenza.

The concept of trade-offs has become unfashionable. Politicians around the world like to pretend that their choices will bring us nothing but superlative benefits.

Nowhere is this whitewashing more pervasive or accepted than in climate change. There is a prevalent, comforting notion that we can have our cake and eat it too: that cutting carbon need not involve financial sacrifice.

This week, government representatives and policy experts from south and south-west Asia will gather in Kathmandu to discuss the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This is a set of targets that determines how much of national governments’ and the international development community’s budgets will be spent between now and 2030. Since the targets were passed in 2015, policy-makers are finding it difficult to deliver the extensive list of 169 different well-meaning ambitions at once.

Among the spending choices for governments of poorer nations, kick-starting the technological revolution may at first seem like a low priority. Compared with critical infrastructure, healthcare, or schools, improved digital access and less waiting times for birth certificates feel like luxuries that should come further down the road, or perhaps be left to private enterprise. But there is reason to rethink this.

Não existem remédios rápidos para a desigualdade de género, mas uma coisa é certa: nem todos os esforços são igualmente bons ou suportados por dados rigorosos.

Na lotaria da vida, nascer mulher num país pobre é uma dupla desvantagem. As mulheres dos países pobres têm a maior incidência global de pobreza entre todos os grupos demográficos, juntamente com as piores condições de saúde, o menor acesso à educação e a maior probabilidade de ser vítima de violência.

A carbon tax is much discussed as a solution to climate change. It is simple and straightforward: a climate price tag makes industry and consumers take into account the implicit negative effects of their actions, whether it is the aircraft fuel for a vacation, or fossil fuels for food fertilizers or to heat and cool a home.

I have argued for a well-designed carbon tax for more than a decade. But five important caveats, almost universally breached by politicians, affect the likelihood of such a policy working.

A new scorecard that purports to grade countries on development progress tells us little about how we are faring against humanity’s biggest challenges. Instead, it highlights the shortcomings of today’s unfocused global development agenda.

Discussions about development spending and reducing Bangladesh's climate vulnerability are often dominated—understandably—by politicians and donors. These are the decision-makers who affect how funds are spent.