Officers on fishing vessels often subject workers to physical violence, intimidation and fraud. Most of the crew members interviewed by the Environmental Justice Foundation reported being trapped in debt bondage, with substantial recruitment fees and debts forcing them to work for minimal pay. Many recounted shifts exceeding 14 hours, poor food, degrading living conditions, and senior officers confiscating their passports.

A commercial street frequented by Chinese and Indonesian workers near the entrance of the industrial compound in Weda Bay, North Maluku, Indonesia. (Wufei Yu/Grist)

For Jingjing Zhang, this work isn’t about money. She’s never chased contingency fees or the kind of fame some crusading lawyers seek. Her rewards are quieter: a nonprofit salary, the trust of community partners, fragile progress. “I believe every case is a step forward,” she said during a recent interview. “Even if we lose, we show people that the law can be a tool for them — that they have rights.”

While factors such as loud noise, aging, injuries, and chronic illnesses can cause hearing impairment, a growing number of studies have found an unusual connection between air pollution and hearing loss.

My parents are from Taiwan, but I was born and raised in the U.S. and am an American passport holder. Not that it mattered. In these situations, there is nothing one can do to reshape rooted perceptions. 

放棄清零可能是中國公民期待已久的景象；可是，由清零政策下爭取回來的時間剩餘不多，而中國似乎仍對接下來的開放計劃毫無準備。

Moving away from zero-COVID may be a welcome sight for Chinese citizens, but China still appears to be wholly unprepared for what’s next.

She ate breakfast as her husband prepared dinner on the other end of the line, on the other end of the day, on the other end of the world.