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Global social challenges

There are multiple interlocking crises currently gripping the planet. Significant threats and dangers lie ahead of us, but so do opportunities, as new ways of being, thinking, and doing emerge.

This stream of Transforming Society is a space for exploring the complexities of the global social challenges across disciplines and fields. It seeks to build and share the knowledge needed to shape a fairer world, across and for the global south and north, hoping to foster dialogue between academics, practitioners, policy makers and the wider public.

Will COP30 deliver fair and transparent climate finance?
by Kathleen Bergs  |  6th November 2025

Improving rather than abandoning voluntary carbon markets is crucial to ensure fair, transparent, and justice-oriented climate finance that genuinely benefits vulnerable communities and supports global climate goals.…Read more

Challenging the boundaries of science: Inclusion, decolonisation and change
by Elizabeth Rasekoala and Bahar Muller  |  22nd October 2025

Elizabeth Rasekoala’s award-winning book 'Race and Sociocultural Inclusion in Science Communication', calls for a global decolonisation of science communication, challenging systemic inequities and fostering inclusive, transformative practices that bridge Global North–South divides.…Read more

by Fradreck J. Mujuru  |  14th October 2025

Fradreck J. Mujuru discusses how encounters with landmines in Zimbabwe inspired him to investigate their lasting humanitarian, environmental, and cultural impacts, exposing how these remnants of war continue to devastate communities and undermine security governance.…Read more

The child poverty strategy needs to get its figures straight
by Gabriele Mari  |  6th October 2025

Gabriele Mari highlights how child poverty in the UK is rising, driven by restrictive benefits policies, despite strong evidence that adequate support can reduce poverty and improve wellbeing.…Read more

Fighting on two fronts: If Ukraine wins the war against Russia, will it lose to the West?

Elliott, author of 'Making War Safe for Capitalism', argues that Ukraine’s war has left the country deeply indebted, with international lenders prioritizing profits over its people’s survival and reconstruction.…Read more

PODCAST: Drugs: The path that led to prohibition
by Julia Buxton  |  17th September 2025

In this episode, George Miller speaks with Julia Buxton about how personal experience drew her into the drug policy field, why US power has played such a disproportionate role and what happens when countries attempt reform.…Read more

From faultlines to frontlines: Neoliberalism vs. people-powered movements

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Peter Beresford about the problem neoliberalism poses, both in politics and in our everyday lives.…Read more

Passport hierarchies, visa regimes and the gatekeeping of knowledge

Devran Gülel argues that visa regimes act as structural gatekeepers in academia, disproportionately limiting the mobility of Global South scholars, marginalizing their knowledge, and perpetuating global hierarchies under the pretense of meritocracy.…Read more

Explore urgent issues through open access reading
by Bristol University Press and Policy Press  |  19th August 2025

A curated collection of open access works explores urgent global challenges, from climate grief and AI ethics to inequality, migration, and political representation,offering critical insights for study and teaching.…Read more

A just climate future for Jim and beyond
by Carolyn Snell and Lucie Middlemiss  |  12th August 2025

Carolyn Snell and Lucie Middlemiss, authors of 'Just Climate Futures', argue that while Net Zero policies are vital for tackling climate change, they must be shaped around everyday realities and social inequalities to ensure they enhance rather than diminish people’s lives.…Read more