The domination of regulatory agencies by the very organizations they regulate — instead of the public interest — must be overcome. It requires leadership at all levels of government.
The number of deaths on Australian roads has been increasing steadily year after year. It’s unacceptable not to act on the evidence of what works to boost road safety.
Utilities can turn off power to reduce the risk that their equipment could spark wildfires during extreme weather events.
Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
Turning off power is a last-ditch strategy for utilities to reduce the risk that their systems could spark wildfires. In most states, deciding whether to take that step is up to utilities.
The most important factor for disease risk is exposure – you actually have to inhale asbestos fibres to be at risk of disease. But asbestos needs to be treated with caution.
Cutaway view of a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle showing part of its battery array (silver boxes).
Tennen-gas/Wikipedia
Lithium-ion battery fires are becoming increasingly common as electric vehicles spread, and are hard to extinguish. A new approach uses an electrolyte based on a commercial fire extinguisher.
Several U.S. states are eliminating criminal fines and fees for people who can’t afford them.
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One fan died and others reported burns at the Swift concert. And we’re going to see similar incidents at future concerns if we don’t start planning for extreme weather.
This message probably popped up on your phone on Oct. 4, 2023.
AP Photo/Wayne Partlow
Lithium-ion batteries power many electric cars, bikes and scooters. When they are damaged or overheated, they can ignite or explode. Four engineers explain how to handle these devices safely.
Children wave peace doves at a concert for peace in Bogota, Colombia, in August 2022.
Chepa Beltran/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
While Americans tend not to use the word “peace,” and instead opt for terms like “safety and security,” their desires and fears are not so different from what people in war-torn places express.
New research reveals drowning risk increases during Australian heatwaves, especially severe heatwaves. Here’s who is most at risk and what we can all do to stay safe.
People have died taking selfies at cliffs, waterfalls and natural pools. We need to try a different approach to reducing the risk.
A trooper checks the tire of a truck carrying flammable contents during a random hazmat checkpoint in Colorado.
Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is looking into new rules for trains. Trucks, however, are involved in thousands more hazmat incidents every year in the US.
Investment in public parks can help reduce crime.
Peter Titmuss/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.
People may think that green spaces often hide criminals. On the contrary, there is evidence they contribute to reducing crime.
A hunter in France takes aim on 21 August 2021. The consumption of alcohol or drugs during hunting makes the practice dangerous even for hunters themselves.
Pascal Pochard Casabian/AFP
A recent French Senate report calling on a ban on alcohol use while hunting has prompted the wrath of the country’s hunting lobby. Do its arguments hold water?
A family of African elephants walk through the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.
EPA-EFE/Jon Hrusa
Interim Director, UWA Public Policy Institute; Associate Professor & Programme Co-ordinator (Masters of Public Policy), The University of Western Australia