Christina Thornell | Vox

Do “gun buybacks” work?

2023-06-15T20:57:25-04:00

On May 3, 2023, Serbia experienced two mass shootings that left more than 15 people dead. While Serbia has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, mass shootings there are rare, and the shootings shocked the country.

In response, one of the big things the Serbian government did was implement a weapon surrender scheme. So far, 26,000 unregistered weapons, 1.3 million rounds of ammunition, and 6,000 explosives have been voluntarily surrendered.

It’s too soon to know what impact this will have on Serbia’s gun ownership rates, but we can look at Australia, where, in 1996, they implemented the world’s largest mandatory buyback program. Nearly three decades later, Australia has removed more than 640,000 guns from the streets. To understand what the data says about the effects of the program regarding gun deaths and mass shootings, check out our explainer above.

Should we reflect sunlight to cool the planet?

2023-05-04T12:04:13-04:00

The climate change crisis has become so dire that we’re being forced not only to think of ways to curb emissions and mitigate greenhouse gases, but of ways to adapt to our current situation to buy ourselves more time.

One of those technologies is called solar geoengineering. It happens in nature when huge volcanic eruptions cover the stratosphere with ash: That ash forms a layer that reflects sunlight and cools the planet underneath. Solar geoengineering takes advantage of that principle, using different scientific methods to make the planet more reflective overall. The problem is, deploying it would require messing with our very complicated climate on a massive scaleThe climate change crisis has become so dire that we’re being forced not only to think of ways to curb emissions and mitigate greenhouse gases, but of ways to adapt to our current situation to buy ourselves more time.

To get an in-depth look at the pros and cons of solar geoengineering, we interviewed a slew of experts on both sides of the issue. Watch our explainer to decide where you stand.

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Why China’s population is shrinking

2023-03-28T11:00:30-04:00

For the first time in six decades, China’s population is shrinking, and it’s predicted it could create a demographic crisis. That’s because China isn’t just shrinking; it’s also aging. And the majority of Chinese couples are not considering having more than one child. Because of this, China is predicted to lose nearly 50 percent of its population by 2100.

China’s population decline can be traced back to the restrictive family-planning policies launched in the 1970s and an impressive economic boom fueled by China’s huge labor force. China’s modernization brought rapid urbanization, rising income levels, and better education to large parts of the country. Combined, these policies and growth gave China one of the lowest birthrates in the world.

Today, China is trying to reverse its population decline. Not just because an aging population is hard to sustain economically, but because China’s impressive economic growth, until now, has relied on its people. As China’s population challenges deepen over time, it might have to rethink how to grow its economy and care for its citizens.

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Russia’s private military force, explained

2023-02-14T15:17:09-05:00

On January 10, 2023, the Ukrainian town of Soledar was reportedly captured. But it wasn’t captured by the Russian army under Vladimir Putin’s command. The announcement came from a relatively unknown man, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said his troops now controlled the town. The troops are part of the Wagner Group, a private army that has become a prominent force alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine.

But they aren’t new. They’ve been secretly fighting for Russia around the world since 2014. In this video, we take a look at their playbook and examine the three main steps they use to spread Russian influence around the world in brutal ways. We also look at how they’ve transformed from a ghost army to a recognizable private military group with insignias and an online brand, changing the nature of this secret group and its role in the world.

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How Iran’s repression machine works

2022-12-22T10:24:14-05:00

The death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s “morality police” on September 16, 2022 sparked major protests in Iran. The morality police arrested Amini for improperly wearing her hijab, and after they allegedly beat her, she fell into a coma and died. Protests began by asking for accountability. They’re now demanding regime change.

In theory, Iranians have a democratic branch they can use to fight for change under the regime. But it’s actually all part of the same power structure controlled by Iran’s autocratic supreme leader. Iranians are forced to voice their objections in the streets because the system that protects the morality police, the supreme leader, and the entire power structure of Iran was designed to fight dissent.

During the 1979 revolution, the Iranian military declared neutrality. This led to the shah’s downfall, but it also caused the supreme leader to decide he needed a whole new loyal army to protect himself and his ideology. It’s this other arm of Iran’s power system that is also out on the streets, cracking down on protesters, hoping to keep the existing structure in place — the same system many Iranians have been fighting against for 40 years. Watch the video above to learn more.

This video simplifies Iran’s power structure to focus on the elements relevant to our story and the ongoing protests. There’s a lot more to learn about — to explore the full power structure of Iran and all its branches, we recommend this guide from the United States Institute of Peace.

How Qatar built stadiums with forced labor

2022-12-01T15:43:05-05:00

Ever since Qatar won the rights to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010, its treatment of migrant workers has made international headlines. News stories and human rights organizations revealed migrant workers who built the stadiums, hotels, and all the new infrastructure required for the World Cup were being forced to work, not getting paid, unable to leave, and in some cases, dying.

At the heart of the abuse faced by migrant workers is the kafala system. A system prevalent in Gulf states that ties workers to their sponsors, it often gives employers almost total control of migrant workers’ employment and immigration status.

Due to all the scrutiny Qatar has been under, some reforms have been put in place, but the kafala system is more than a law — it’s a practice. And while these reforms exist on paper, human rights organizations say there’s still a long way to go.

To understand how hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were stuck in an exploitative system while building the stadiums for the World Cup, watch our 10-minute video above.

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Batteries are dirty. Geothermal power can help.

2022-11-02T10:12:01-04:00

Lithium-ion batteries are a transformative technology in the fight against climate change. Most notably, they power electric vehicles, which have the potential to replace emissions produced by road transportation.

But there’s a problem: These batteries require nickel. And in Indonesia, where the majority of nickel is produced, the production process emits large amounts of carbon and pollution. It’s impacting the people who live by the production centers, who are registering an increase in respiratory illnesses. The US is essentially outsourcing carbon emissions and pollution in exchange for green energy.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Indonesia sits along the Ring of Fire, one of the most geologically active regions in the world, making it an ideal place to produce geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy taps into the heat beneath the ground mostly found in volcanic regions. Using the heat beneath the Earth’s surface requires drilling into the ground, drawing up the hot water, and using it to turn turbines that produce electricity. After, the water is funneled back underground, making geothermal a mostly clean and renewable energy source.

While the exploration and development process of geothermal energy can be expensive, Indonesia already has more than 30 active geothermal facilities.

As the world’s need for lithium-ion batteries increases, Indonesia and the companies invested in the region have the opportunity to make their processes greener from start to finish — and protect the people who live next to nickel production centers.

To understand the repercussions of nickel production in Indonesia and how geothermal energy could help fix the air pollution and emissions it produces, watch our video.

This video was made possible by a grant from the BEMC Foundation.

The Future Perfect team at Vox explores big problems and the big ideas that can tackle them. Read more from them on topics ranging from antibiotics to the future of meat and more.

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Why Queen Elizabeth II was queen of 15 countries

2022-09-28T12:01:39-04:00

After centuries of colonizing much of the world, the British Empire began its fast descent in the 1960s amid a global wave of independence movements. But when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, she was not only still queen of 14 countries besides the United Kingdom; she was also still the leader of an organization that, on a map, looks a lot like the British Empire.

The British Empire created the first iteration of the Commonwealth to appease white settler colonies looking for more autonomy. It granted them more independence to govern themselves but kept them under the crown. As British leaders realized their power might be at risk throughout their colonies worldwide, the monarchy made a play to keep ties and preserve their global influence by allowing newly independent republics to join the Commonwealth, too. The only catch: They had to accept the queen as the leader of the organization. With her death, this vestige of the British Empire is now under the leadership of King Charles III. So what exactly is the Commonwealth? Why is it still here? And will it survive?

You can find this video and more on Vox’s YouTube Channel.

Humans finally figured out how to make it rain

2022-08-03T11:40:14-04:00

For decades, drought-stricken areas around the world have practiced “cloud seeding,” a process where chemical flares full of silver iodide are shot into storm clouds to encourage them to rain. But until recently, the science didn’t quite back this practice up. In large part that’s because operational cloud seeding programs don’t have the luxury of conducting controlled tests — they have an obligation to produce as much rain as possible for the people living under the clouds they seed.

But there’s been a breakthrough. In 2017, a major cloud seeding experiment in the mountains of Idaho showed that cloud seeding works: Shooting chemical flares into the clouds does produce more precipitation.

As the world faces an increasing number of heat waves and droughts, banking water is becoming more and more important. And while we don’t know exactly how life-changing cloud seeding will turn out to be, we do know it has the potential to be a tool in our arsenal in the long battle against worsening droughts.

To understand how cloud seeding works and what it’s already doing in Texas, watch this video and take a trip up to the clouds to see it yourself.

This video was made possible by a grant from the BEMC Foundation.

The Future Perfect team at Vox explores big problems and the big ideas that can tackle them. Read more from them on topics ranging from antibiotics to the future of meat and more.

You can find this video and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube.

Why Germany is hooked on Russian gas

2022-05-18T17:18:14-04:00

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has sanctioned much of Russia’s economy, but Russia’s natural gas trade remains untouched. The EU gets nearly a quarter of its energy from natural gas, and almost half of that comes from Russia, the world’s largest gas exporter. As the EU’s largest economy, Germany is Russia’s biggest customer, paying Russia’s state-owned gas company about 200 million euros a day since Russia’s war began. So while Germany has even sent Ukraine weapons in a historic shift of military policy, through its gas supply, Germany is also helping to pay for the war it’s trying to stop.

It’s inherently hard to pivot away from piped gas. Unlike oil and coal, which can be sent anywhere in the world, gas pipelines cost billions, take years to build, and physically connect producer and buyer directly, making them long-term commitments. That was the origin of Germany’s dependence on Russian gas, which over time has only deepened. Today, as the world tries to punish Russia through sanctions, that dependence is getting in the way.

This video is part of Vox’s series Atlas, where we explain how foreign policy shapes a region. Watch more of Atlas in a playlist here.

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