EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Apr-2026 00:16 ET (25-Apr-2026 04:16 GMT/UTC)

21-Jan-2026

Biochar’s promise under pressure: Study urges realistic, systems based path forward

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biochar, a charcoal like material made from plant and organic waste, is often promoted as a climate and soil “wonder solution,” but a new commentary warns that the reality is far more complex and that smarter deployment is urgently needed. The authors argue that biochar will only move from the margins to the mainstream if treated as part of a larger system that links technology, economics, and public policy.

21-Jan-2026

American Meteorological Society announces new executive director

American Meteorological Society
Business Announcement

Atmospheric scientist Amanda Staudt will join the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the professional society for weather, water, and climate sciences and services, as its new executive director in March 2026.

Meeting: 106th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society

21-Jan-2026

To make AI more fair, tame complexity

University of Texas at Austin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biases in AI’s models and algorithms can actively harm some of its users and promote social injustice. Documented biases have led to different medical treatments due to patients’ demographics and corporate hiring tools that discriminate against female and Black candidates.

New research from Texas McCombs suggests both a previously unexplored source of AI biases and some ways to correct for them: complexity.

“There’s a complex set of issues that the algorithm has to deal with, and it’s infeasible to deal with those issues well,” says Hüseyin Tanriverdi, associate professor of information, risk, and operations management. “Bias could be an artifact of that complexity rather than other explanations that people have offered.”

Journal: MIS Quarterly

21-Jan-2026

Spotting skin cancer sooner with the help of artificial intelligence

University of Missouri-Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What if the earliest signs of skin cancer could be identified sooner — before a dermatology appointment?

Researchers at the University of Missouri are exploring how artificial intelligence could help detect melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer — by evaluating images of suspicious skin abnormalities.

Journal: Biosensors and Bioelectronics X

21-Jan-2026

New journal section tackles AI, ethics, and digital health communication

CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is pleased to announce the launch of AI, Health, and Digital Spaces, a new section of the peer-reviewed Journal of Health Communication, International Perspectives. The section responds to the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms on how health information is created, shared, and understood, and marks an important step forward in advancing scholarship at the intersection of technology and public health communication.

Journal: Journal of Health Communication

21-Jan-2026

How markets should be designed for non-permanent carbon removals

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Carbon dioxide removal technologies are becoming increasingly important for climate action, but their differing storage times matter for policy design. A new study published in Environmental and Resource Economics by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) provides guidance based on economic principles. While non-permanent carbon storage plays a valuable role as economies transition away from fossil fuels, its contribution is less valuable than permanent storage; this should be reflected in carbon pricing schemes that aim to incentivise the ramping-up of removals.

Journal: Environmental and Resource Economics

21-Jan-2026

“Sustainable Water³ Space” network for water sustainability in Yellow River Basin

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study develops a "Sustainable Water Space" network model to analyze the synergistic relationships among 53 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators in the Yellow River Basin from 2015 to 2022. It reveals a stable four-cluster structure and identifies key water-related indicators—such as water use per unit GDP—that have evolved into critical "bridges" linking socioeconomic and water systems. The analysis further categorizes regions by complexity and eigenvector centrality, proposing differentiated policy strategies, such as focusing on residential wastewater reduction in high-complexity areas and industrial pollution control in low-complexity ones. The framework offers a systematic tool for guiding coordinated water management and sustainable development in the basin.

Journal: Water & Ecology