ORBIS — The reading atlas.

The bill for an earthquake isn't settled when the images of rubble fade from television screens; on the contrary, the real damage in the economy's capillaries begins that very day. The cost of collapsed bridges, pulverised factories and ruined ports – what we call "damage" – is merely the disaster's first face, counted only once. What remains invisible, stretching painfully over time, is the "loss of output": the value that city would have created over the years had it remained standing. Viewed from a distance, national economies are surprisingly resilient. Studies show that, on average, even very large disasters do not leave a lasting mark on national output, unless they are followed by radical political change such as a revolution. National averages, however, are masters at masking quiet, local tragedies. The January 1995 earthquake that struck Kobe, the pride of Japan, didn't just claim more than 6,400 lives; it wrecked much of what was then one of the world's busiest container ports. While the Japanese economy as a whole absorbed the shock, twenty years later Kobe's income per person was still markedly below its expected path, and the cargo its port lost to regional rivals…

The bill for an earthquake isn't settled when the images of rubble fade from television screens; on the contrary, the real damage in the economy's capillaries begins that very day. The cost of collapsed bridges, pulverised factories and ruined ports – what we call "damage" – is merely the disaster's first face,…

When it comes to bread on the table, what the grain has kept matters more than whether bread is eaten at all. The WHO notes that adults living with diabetes rose from about 200 million in 1990 to about 830 million in 2022; most have type 2 diabetes, closely linked to excess weight and low activity. Research separates whole grain, which keeps the bran and the germ, from refined grain, which is mostly starch. People eating about three servings of whole grains a day had roughly a third lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those eating almost none, while refined grains showed no such association. Analyses following nearly 195,000 adults for decades reached similar results for whole-grain foods like dark bread, oatmeal and cereals. The usual explanation lies in fibre and structure: starch from white flour raises blood sugar fast, while bran slows digestion and prolongs fullness. These studies observe what people eat rather than assign it, and people who choose whole grains may differ in other ways. A brown colour, too, is not proof of whole grain, which makes label-reading essential.

When it comes to bread on the table, what the grain has kept matters more than whether bread is eaten at all. The WHO notes that adults living with diabetes rose from about 200 million in 1990 to about 830 million in 2022; most have type 2 diabetes, closely linked to excess weight and low activity. Research separates…

Does consuming more equate to living better? In 1974, Richard Easterlin noted a puzzle: within a country, richer people were happier, yet average happiness barely moved as countries grew wealthier – and a long argument about the meaning of growth began. However, research based on far larger surveys argues that doubling an income brings a similar gain whether one starts poor or rich, meaning each additional dollar buys less happiness. Do the gains ever stop? A study based on about 450,000 survey responses from American residents found that while overall life evaluation rose with income, day-to-day emotional improvement plateaued at about 75,000 dollars a year. In 2023, the two sides of the debate analysed the data together and found that for most people, happiness keeps rising with income; the plateau applies only to the least happy fifth of people, beyond about 100,000 dollars. Furthermore, how money is spent matters: people spending money on others, as gifts or donations, reported greater happiness than those spending it on themselves.

Does consuming more equate to living better? In 1974, Richard Easterlin noted a puzzle: within a country, richer people were happier, yet average happiness barely moved as countries grew wealthier – and a long argument about the meaning of growth began. However, research based on far larger surveys argues that…

The sea is never still; tides and winds move its surface daily. The oldest tool, the tide gauge, records water height against land, with the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level collecting such records since 1933. Yet land moves too, with coastal cities often sinking as groundwater is pumped out, so modern gauges are paired with satellite positioning receivers that measure the movement of the land itself. Since 1992, satellites using radar altimeters have also measured the open ocean directly by timing radar pulses. Combined, these records reveal a stark truth: according to the IPCC, global mean sea level rose by about 20 centimetres between 1901 and 2018, with the rate accelerating from 1.9 millimetres a year (1971-2006) to 3.7 millimetres (2006-2018). As warming water expands and melting glaciers add water to the oceans, the fate of coasts is dictated by this relentless, millimetre-by-millimetre advance.

The sea is never still; tides and winds move its surface daily. The oldest tool, the tide gauge, records water height against land, with the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level collecting such records since 1933. Yet land moves too, with coastal cities often sinking as groundwater is pumped out, so modern gauges are…

Some of the world's most magnificent rivers no longer reach the sea. Because its water is divided among seven US states and Mexico and nearly all of it is taken for farms and cities, the Colorado River has failed to reach the sea for most years since the 1960s. Similarly, massive diversions of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for cotton irrigation shrank the once-mighty Aral Sea to a mere fraction of its size. The true culprit is human choice rather than nature. According to the FAO, agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of fresh water taken globally. Furthermore, a global mapping found that only 37 percent of rivers longer than 1,000 kilometres still flow freely along their whole length. While a warming climate makes the problem worse, these rivers often run dry not from a lack of rainfall, but because of decisions made on paper about how much water to take.

Some of the world's most magnificent rivers no longer reach the sea. Because its water is divided among seven US states and Mexico and nearly all of it is taken for farms and cities, the Colorado River has failed to reach the sea for most years since the 1960s. Similarly, massive diversions of the Amu Darya and Syr…