Training in accountancy encourages my reliance on data to improve understanding of various issues. One valuable source of information is Our World in Data. It was founded by Max Roser, Professor of Practice in Global Data Analytics at the University of Oxford. Dr. Roser’s research has focused on large global problems, including poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, existential risks, and war.
Recent posts at Our World in Data show the broad range of open source and open access subjects the organization covers:
- The great global redistributor we never hear about — Migrants send or bring back over three times the amount of money provided by global foreign aid. Cutting transaction fees could make this support even more effective in reducing poverty.
- What was the Golden Age of Antibiotics, and how can we spark a new one? — Many antibiotics were developed during the “Golden Age of Antibiotics”. How did it happen, why has antibiotic development slowed down since then, and what can we do to reignite it?
- What do long-term prices tell us about resource scarcity? — Paul Ehrlich thought population growth would quickly deplete the planet’s resources. He expected that the cost of resources — including minerals — would rise steeply as they became more scarce. Julian Simon thought that human innovation and ingenuity would overcome resource shortages, and the price of resources would, therefore, not rise but fall.
- HPV vaccines offer a rare opportunity to effectively eliminate one or more types of cancer.
- How much will climate change affect food production? Will it hurt or benefit crop yields? Can we feed 8, 9, or 10 billion people in a warmer world?
- The 2024 Living Planet Index report makes for some grim reading. The headline is a 73% average decline in wildlife populations since 1970.
These are a small sample of subject covered at Our World in Data.
Categories: International
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