Employment, Skills and Human Capital
Humans are leaving a heavy footprint on the Earth, but when did we become the main driver of change in the planet’s ecosystems? Many scientists point to the 1950s, when all kinds of socioeconomic trends began accelerating. Since then, the world population has tripled. Fertiliser and water use expanded as more food was grown than ever before. The construction of motorways sped up to accommodate rising car ownership while international flights took off to satisfy a growing taste for tourism. Renewing capitalism’s licence to operate. How the Forum is avoiding a midlife crisis. Have you ever wondered what stores do with food that’s out of date, oddly shaped or too unappealing to sell? Residents of the small Alaskan town Kongiganak can no longer bury their dead. Their cemetery has become a marshy swamp, sucking graves into the once frozen ground. The climate crisis is taking a toll on Antarctica’s chinstrap penguins. Airbus (AIR.PA) on Tuesday unveiled a curvaceous aircraft design that blends wing and body, designed to slash carbon emissions by some 20%. Eurostat have released some interesting new data showing the share of Europeans who regularly do home office. In 2018, 5.2 percent of people aged between 15 and 64 regularly worked from home across the EU. That share has remained relatively constant at about five percent over the past 10 years. The Netherlands has the highest share of workers who say they usually work from home at 14 percent, closely followed by Finland with 13.3 percent. Tropical forests are one of the world’s largest carbon stores and they help regulate the global climate. But they’re being erased at a terrifying rate. Deforestation claimed an area the size of Belgium in 2018. These habitats are often cleared to make way for palm oil plantations and grazing pasture for livestock. For most forests, destruction on this scale is a fairly modern phenomenon. The world is urbanizing at an unprecedented speed and scale, with more than half the global population living in cities today… rising to nearly 7 out of 10 people in cities by 2050. For women aspiring to conquer Hollywood, the nominations for the 2020 Oscars made dispiriting reading. The nods for best director were all male – and not for the first time. Demographic, economic, and technological trends are making the world increasingly “flat” with respect to consumption. By supporting this shift, government and private-sector leaders can help to create a more cohesive, sustainable, and inclusive future. Reading, studies show, increases empathy and charitable thinking. Fiction has even been credited with helping readers improve their understanding of others and make changes in their own lives. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaking up the global pecking order, allowing many smaller countries to stand tall in a new competitive landscape. Established metrics such as gross domestic product (GDP) can tell you at a glance which are the world’s largest economies. But, according to a new report, they won’t tell you which ones are most likely to succeed in a new AI-driven world. An extensive study that looked at a decade of carbon emissions found that nearly 20 percent of one of the world’s largest carbon sinks is actually releasing carbon instead of capturing it, according to the BBC. The Chinese province at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak reported a record rise in deaths and thousands more cases on Thursday under a new diagnostic method, suggesting a much bigger crisis facing China and the world. It may sound more like science fiction than science fact, but researchers have created bionic jellyfish by embedding microelectronics into these ubiquitous marine invertebrates with hopes to deploy them to monitor and explore the world’s oceans. The Arctic is changing. As retreating ice cover makes this region more accessible, nations with Arctic real estate are thinking of developing these subzero landscapes and the resources below. How did those new year’s resolutions work out for you? Old habits will have already returned for many – you’re not alone if you’ve already stopped using that new gym membership. Similarly, you’re in good company if 2020 is already stressing you out. Most Americans are at least somewhat happy with their lives, but some have grappled with issues like loneliness and isolation, work-life balance and finding meaning and purpose. Over the years, Pew Research Center has conducted surveys in all these areas. Here are nine things we’ve learned from them about how Americans are coping with modern life: There is strong public support for quarantine and travel bans to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a new global survey from Ipsos shows.The pollster questioned 1,000 people in each of eight countries, aged between 16 and 74. São Paulo is Latin America’s power-house. A centre of commerce, dynamism and innovation, Brazil’s largest state has a GDP bigger than Argentina. Last year its GDP grew 2.6%, twice the national average. This was not by accident. It was a result of serious policies to modernize infrastructure, promote technological innovation, expand equal opportunity and double down on preserving the environment. For those who, like us, operate in work environments that demand significant amounts of travel, the toll it can take on both their health and the planet is significant – but eco-conscious professionals concerned about their environmental footprint can take tangible and impactful steps to reduce it while they are on the road. The trendiest C-suite role for the past few years has almost certainly been the Chief Digital Officer, or the CDO. The number of CDOs has grown from a few hundred eight years ago, to tens of thousands today. Research from PwC suggests 21% of large public firms now have a CDO. Imagine being able to scan a pack of fish with your smartphone and know instantly the journey that tuna steak had made from ‘bait to plate’ – even down to when, where and which boat caught it. Two years ago the director general of the World Health Organization silenced the audience at the World Government Summit with the view that a devastating epidemic could start in any country at any time – and that the world would not be prepared.Show Agenda posts
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What is ‘Blue Acceleration’ and what does it mean for our oceans?
Friday 14th of February 2020
No midlife crisis for Davos, who’s ready for an epidemic and other top stories of the week
Friday 14th of February 2020
This German supermarket’s shelves are filled with food other stores won’t sell
Friday 14th of February 2020
Permafrost is thawing so fast it’s gouging holes in the Arctic
Friday 14th of February 2020
This penguin colony has fallen by 77% on Antarctic islands
Friday 14th of February 2020
This aerodynamic aircraft design could cut carbon emissions
Friday 14th of February 2020
This is where most Europeans choose to work from home
Friday 14th of February 2020
Time capsules: the stories that Amazon trees can tell us
Friday 14th of February 2020
This is how smart cities are paving the way towards an inclusive future
Friday 14th of February 2020
More women than ever are working in Hollywood, but men still dominate key roles
Friday 14th of February 2020
Why it’s time to start talking about consumption equality
Friday 14th of February 2020
7 gripping, powerful and original books that bring the UN’s sustainable development goals to life
Thursday 13th of February 2020
AI looks set to disrupt the established world order. Here’s how
Thursday 13th of February 2020
Deforestation in the Amazon is causing parts of it to release more carbon than it absorbs
Thursday 13th of February 2020
There’s been a spike in the number of deaths from coronavirus
Thursday 13th of February 2020
These bionic jellyfish could become data miners of the world’s oceans
Thursday 13th of February 2020
This chart shows new trade routes that could open up the Arctic
Thursday 13th of February 2020
How to reduce work stress and avoid burnout: a psychologist explains
Thursday 13th of February 2020
This is how Americans feel about the highs and lows of modern life
Thursday 13th of February 2020
This is what people really think about the threat of COVID-19 coronavirus
Thursday 13th of February 2020
How to unleash the potential of regions like São Paulo
Thursday 13th of February 2020
6 ways travelling professionals can cut their carbon footprint
Thursday 13th of February 2020
The five stages of the Chief Digital Officer – and why they often fail
Wednesday 12th of February 2020
Here’s how blockchain could fight illegal fishing and help tuna stocks recover
Wednesday 12th of February 2020
These are the countries best prepared for health emergencies
Wednesday 12th of February 2020
Gender Parity
For women aspiring to conquer Hollywood, the nominations for the 2020 Oscars made dispiriting reading. The nods for best director were all male – and not for the first time. For centuries, women have made significant contributions to the field of science. They’ve discovered life-saving remedies, devised world-altering inventions, and produced far-reaching research, but in many cases their invaluable advances are minimized or neglected. Science and gender equality are vital to the world reaching sustainable development goals, and in recent years much has been done to help inspire women and girls to study and work in technical fields. But women continue to be excluded from participating fully, according to the United Nations. A group of girls from a remote village in Kyrgyzstan have come together to form the central Asian country’s first all-female ice hockey team — Shapak. Women gained seats on U.S. corporate boards at a steady pace in recent years, but their share of top board leadership roles is still stuck at a low level, according to a new study. As climate change brings more heat extremes, researchers are tracking the risks facing Gambia’s pregnant farmers and their babies. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is exacting a “crippling” economic toll on many countries, the United Nations said on Thursday as it launched a tool to help them calculate the cost of treating girls and women harmed by the practice. In Japan, a nation with one of the world’s most generous parental leave entitlements, a government minister has provoked a social media storm by announcing he is to take time off for the imminent birth of his first child. The ‘radical reform’ aims to improve gender equality by encouraging fathers to take an equal role in childcare. While women still do nearly twice as much housework as men, the division of labor between boys and girls doing household chores is nearly equal, according to a new study. In every region of the world, discriminatory laws still prevent women from fulfilling their potential, undermining their economic security by limiting their ability to work and pursue a career. The nominees for best director at this year’s Academy Awards will walk the red carpet, prepare their acceptance speeches and sit in the media spotlight awaiting the winner’s announcement. British film stars including Carey Mulligan and Gemma Arterton have come up with alternative nominees for the BAFTA Film Awards after criticism that this year’s list is not diverse enough. When I moved back to the US two years ago, buying a bike was at the top of my to-do list. I’d spent the previous six months living in the Netherlands, where pedaling alongside Dutch trams and taxis made me feel independent and strong enough to go anywhere. To flashing lights and a techno beat, an ocean throws up two bedraggled sisters whose ornate costumes betray traces of a better life – the opening of a new ballet at London’s Royal Opera House. Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest prime minister at the age of 34, says it is not ‘that big a deal’ for women to be in power in Finland but she welcomes the debate her election has triggered. Gender equality and getting more women into leadership roles are trending topics. Of the top 30 most used hashtags of 2019, five were specifically around women, from #WomenInSTEM to #PressforProgress and #WCW (Women Crush Wednesday). More awareness and conversation on gender is surely a good thing, but is this “noise” masking a lack of real action and progress? There is still a significant lag in fulfilling the promises of equality at work, with a 100-year gap from female representation in leadership to pay equity. “Humankind has declared a war on nature and nature is striking back in a very violent way.” We know automation and technological disruption will alter the world of work. In the 2020s, winning organizations will be those that can compete on an increasing rate of learning. Companies that continuously provide their employees at all levels with the latest digital skills will be most likely to thrive and continue to attract top talent. “Governments around the world can, and must, build a human economy that is feminist and benefits the 99%, not only the 1%.” • Women are still marginalised in the boardroom and in broader economic terms. Globalization got a bad rap in part because, by sweeping aside barriers to the movement of capital, labour and goods, it was perceived to have favoured large corporate interests over all others. The data is clear: an equal world is a better world for all of us. When equality grows, communities are healthier, businesses are stronger, economies rise – and the world is a better place for everyone. What if a staffing and leadership change could improve your company’s operating results by 55%, and increase return on equity by 35%? Diverse investment portfolios can reduce risk, promote innovation and improve returns.Show Agenda posts
View more Gender posts
More women than ever are working in Hollywood, but men still dominate key roles
Friday 14th of February 2020
These 7 female scientists have changed the world
Wednesday 12th of February 2020
3 things to know about women in STEM
Tuesday 11th of February 2020
Ice hockey: Kyrgyzstan’s first female team shatters stereotypes
Tuesday 11th of February 2020
Female leadership on U.S. company boards is rising – but far too slowly
Monday 10th of February 2020
This is what we can learn from Gambia about rising temperatures and premature births
Monday 10th of February 2020
What is the economic cost of FGM?
Monday 10th of February 2020
The ‘future’ prime minister of this country just made history by challenging gender stereotypes
Friday 7th of February 2020
Finnish dads to get seven months paternity leave
Friday 7th of February 2020
Teen boys and girls in the US now do equal amounts of housework
Friday 7th of February 2020
These are the best countries for women to work in
Tuesday 4th of February 2020
This is how many women have been nominated for best director in the Oscars’ entire history
Monday 3rd of February 2020
UK film stars compile alternative award list in diversity row
Friday 31st of January 2020
Surveys repeatedly show that women do not feel safe cycling – this is how to ensure they are
Thursday 30th of January 2020
British ballet shines spotlight on refugee women
Thursday 30th of January 2020
"It just doesn’t happen by itself": Sanna Marin calls for gender equality laws
Thursday 30th of January 2020
5 ways to break down the barriers for women to access leadership roles
Thursday 30th of January 2020
Dispatches from the frontline of the ‘war on nature’ – Day 3 at Davos 2020
Thursday 23rd of January 2020
The reskilling revolution can transform the future of work for women
Monday 20th of January 2020
5 shocking facts about inequality, according to Oxfam’s latest report
Monday 20th of January 2020
Why diversity needs your star power, as well as sponsors
Monday 20th of January 2020
E-commerce is globalization’s shot at equality
Sunday 19th of January 2020
The route to true gender equality? Fix the system, not the women
Sunday 19th of January 2020
Quotas are a diversity quick-fix, but companies must dig deeper
Sunday 19th of January 2020
Just 1.3% of US financial assets are managed by women or minorities. Here’s how to change that
Sunday 19th of January 2020
