EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Jan-2026 19:11 ET (29-Jan-2026 00:11 GMT/UTC)

New tool tracks cross-border pollution, revealing unequal distribution of risk, responsibility

University of Notre Dame
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Deadly PM 2.5 air pollution that crosses state and national borders remains a serious global health issue. New research from the University of Notre Dame provides a tool to track responsibility and inform policy.

Journal: Environmental Research Letters
Funder: Notre Dame Strategic Framework Grant; additional support for the cross-state research came from Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative and the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society.

De-stigmatizing self-reported data in health care research

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Professor Nisreen Alwan calls to de-stigmatize self-reported data in health care research, highlighting Long COVID as one setting where it has unique strengths over 'objective' data.

Journal: PLOS Global Public Health

Researchers develop user-friendly tool for improving ocean equity

Duke University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Ocean Equity Index is a scorecard that anyone can use to assess the extent to which ocean projects and policies recognize relevant stakeholders, include them in decision-making and otherwise treat them fairly.

Journal: Nature

US state-level prevalence of adult obesity by race and ethnicity from 1990 to 2022 and forecasted to 2035

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This cross-sectional analysis estimated that in 1990, 19.3% of the U.S. adult population were living with obesity; by 2022, this had increased to 42.5%. By 2035, this was forecasted to increase to 46.9%. There was substantial variation by state and race and ethnicity group, indicating large disparities in obesity prevalence. Differences in the prevalence of obesity by population group may be used to develop health policy and interventions to reduce inequities and the large burden of obesity in the U.S.

Journal: JAMA

InterACT: International postdoctoral fellowships build bridges between science and policy

Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Grant and Award Announcement

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) will launch the InterACT COFUND postdoctoral fellowship programme in September 2026, co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The initiative is managed by the European Research and Innovation Support (ERIS) team of the Vice Rectorate Innovation and Industry Relations. Over a period of five years, the postdoctoral programme will recruit 14 international researchers through two competitive calls.

New Alzheimer Europe report projects 64% increase in dementia across Europe by 2050

Alzheimer Europe
Reports and Proceedings

Alzheimer Europe has today launched the “The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025” report, which provides updated prevalence figures for the number of people living with dementia both for Europe as a whole, as well as the countries within. The report builds upon Alzheimer Europe’s previous work in the “Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019”.

Restoring ecosystem function can reverse desertification in Europe’s drylands

Pensoft Publishers
Reports and Proceedings

Desertification is accelerating across Europe’s drylands under climate change, reducing biodiversity, ecosystem services, and rural livelihoods. A new eLTER policy brief shows that functional restoration — restoring key ecosystem functions such as water regulation and soil stability — can reverse degradation even where full ecological recovery is no longer possible. Long-term research demonstrates that rebuilding water-retaining structures restores ecosystem resilience and services. The approach supports major EU and global policy frameworks and offers a scalable solution for climate-resilient land management.

Funder: Horizon Europe

1
2
3