Southeast Asian countries, like the Philippines and Indonesia, generate a large amount of plastic waste each year. One item alone—single-use plastic sachets—makes up the majority of this plastic waste, littering beaches, clogging waterways, and polluting surrounding oceans. In our top spot this month, Eli Patton shares potential solutions to turn off the tap on Southeast Asia’s plastic waste problem.

COVID-19 could have dire consequences for progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, writes Deekshita Ramanarayanan in her coverage of a recent Wilson Center event that highlighted new research from the Guttmacher Institute. In our third top spot this month, Gretchen De Silva, Chris Upchurch, and Gad Perry explain how the pandemic spells trouble for public transit, but also how it could revitalize and enhance transport systems in the long term.

Our fourth and fifth top posts this month highlight the importance of cultural intelligence to building climate resilience and underscore that economic prosperity and the protection of natural resources are not mutually exclusive. Brigitte Hugh illustrates how a culturally savvy approach to climate resilience can help address environmental injustice and contribute to sustainable development. Amy Erica Smith and Anya Prusa share new research from the Wilson Center’s Brazil Institute on how to avert Brazil’s “cycles of inferno” and the between protection of Brazil’s forests and economic prosperity. 

1. Turning off the Tap: Plastic Sachets and Producer Responsibility in Southeast Asia by Eli Patton
2. Meeting Women’s Modern Contraceptive Needs Could Yield Dramatic Benefit by Deekshita Ramanarayanan
3. In COVID’s Wake: How to Revive Urban Mass Transit by Gretchen De Silva, Chris Upchurch, & Gad Perry
4. Equitable, Effective Climate Resilience Requires Cultural Intelligence by Brigitte Hugh
5. Protecting Brazil’s Forests Could Boost Economic Development by Amy Erica Smith & Anya Prusa