Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that B.C.’s decision to provide universal, no-cost prescription contraception sharply reduced what patients pay, with the largest financial gains for people in their 20s. Before the policy, the pill averaged about $25 per month, while IUDs ranged from $75 to more than $500 up front—and for long-term pill users, lifetime costs could reach $10,000. Two years after the policy change, patient spending was 83 per cent lower than expected, translating to average savings of $43 per contraceptive user per year.

Commercial marketing oriented toward sustainability is not compatible with degrowth, even when it promotes consuming less. That is the conclusion of a study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Researchers call for stronger measures beyond food labels to cut sugar consumption.

U.S. is developing lithium mines to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains. New study assessed whether U.S. subbasins can support water-intensive lithium mining. Team combined water, climate and socioeconomic models to project water supply and demand between 2040 and 2060. Under every scenario, most western subbasins struggled to meet existing water demands, let alone support additional lithium mining.