After the Fact
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Recent Episodes
For the first time in history, the world has formally agreed to protect nearly half the planet. In September 2025, the United Nations ratified the high seas treaty, officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement—a landmark global pact to safeguard the parts of the ocean that lie beyond any one country's national jurisdiction.
These vast waters—the high seas—cover nearly half of Earth's surface and sustain much of the life on our planet. Yet until now, they've been largely ungoverned, leaving marine ecosystems vulnerable to overfishing, pollution, and the growing impacts of climate change. In this episode of "After the Fact," Pew's director of ocean governance, Liz Karan, explains why this moment represents one of the most significant conservation milestones in decades—and what comes next.
Millions of Americans are behind on their retirement savings goals, and nearly 70% of those already retired wish they had started saving earlier. But Gen Z, the latest generation to enter the workforce, is an outlier, with the data showing that they are saving more than millennials and putting new emphasis on planning for the future. What gives?
In this episode of "After the Fact," John Scott, who directs Pew's retirement savings project, explains new ways people can save more and earlier. And Taylor Price, a financial educator, influencer, and entrepreneur known online as Priceless Tay, discusses how she's trying to help close the financial literacy gap for Gen Zers.
While opioid use disorder dominates headlines, alcohol quietly remains America's most problematic—and overlooked—drug. Nearly 30 million people are estimated to have alcohol use disorder. In this episode of "After the Fact," Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, an addiction medicine specialist, and Pew's Frances McGaffey discuss the latest trends related to alcohol use, its normalization in American culture, and the evolving science behind its risks.