EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2026 09:15 ET (17-Jun-2026 13:15 GMT/UTC)

17-Jun-2026

UK rivers face rising risk of climate ‘whiplash’

University of East Anglia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research shows that climate change could push UK rivers to dangerous extremes and see more frequent rapid swings between wet and dry conditions. Researchers analysed almost 700 river catchments across the UK to project how river flows may change at 2°C and 4°C of global warming. The results reveal stark regional contrasts and growing challenges for communities and water managers trying to plan for flood and drought risk - particularly in areas that will increasingly experience both. The team also warn of more intense river flooding during extreme rainfall events in western and northern parts of the UK and longer dry spells and lower river flows in southern and eastern England, regions that are already water‑stressed.

Journal: Earth's Future

17-Jun-2026

Rebuilding credibility: scientists unveil rigorous framework to fix flawed global forest carbon credit systems

South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study identifies four critical systemic flaws undermining forest carbon credit integrity and proposes a four-pillar reform framework to restore trust and align forest carbon projects with real climate and ecological benefits.

Journal: Biological Diversity

17-Jun-2026

UTIA agricultural policy expert wins Farm Foundation Award

University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
Grant and Award Announcement

Andrew Muhammad, professor and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, is the 2026 recipient of the R.J. Hildreth Public Policy Award from the Farm Foundation.

The R.J. Hildreth Award for Career Achievement in Public Policy honors career achievement in the field of public policy, through government service, as educators, or those researching agricultural policy. Farm Foundation is a 90-year-old independent organization that brings together farmers, industry leaders, policymakers, academics and other professionals to explore and solve issues shaping food and agriculture. The award was presented at the foundation’s round table meeting on June 16 in St. Louis.

17-Jun-2026

MDPI rolls out AI-powered ethics checks across all submissions

MDPI AG
Business Announcement

MDPI, the open access publisher, has today announced the full deployment of its in-house AI-powered research integrity system, Ethicality. The tool is now being used to automatically screen all manuscripts submitted to the publisher—in the region of 2,000 submissions from authors worldwide per day.

16-Jun-2026

Lack of access to data can skew medical conclusions

Karolinska Institutet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses form the basis for healthcare and health policy, but access to the data on which the results are based is often lacking. This is shown in a new policy forum article from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Journal: PLOS Medicine

16-Jun-2026

Sociodemographic, health care, and clinical factors associated with metabolic bariatric surgery uptake among US adults with obesity

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cohort study of individuals with an initial obesity diagnosis, uptake of metabolic bariatric surgery was patterned by demographic, clinical, and health care factors. This finding suggests substantial opportunity to improve access to metabolic bariatric surgery through targeted policies and interventions.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

16-Jun-2026

Online grocery shopping could bring more fresh produce to SNAP families

Cornell University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A high cost of fresh fruits and vegetables and the need to restock them frequently can be barriers to healthy eating for low-income families. New Cornell University research shows that online grocery shopping, combined with incentive programs, can help.

Journal: American Journal of Health Promotion