The Global Gender Gap Report 2014
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Through the Global Gender Gap Report 2014, the World Economic Forum quantifies the magnitude of gender-based disparities and tracks their progress over time. While no single measure can capture the complete situation, the Global Gender Gap Index presented in this Report seeks to measure one important aspect of gender equality: the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy and politics.
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5 reasons dispute resolution is critical for blockchain’s growth
Monday 14th of December 2020
All parties involved in a transaction need to know that they will be able to resolve disputes in an orderly way. This is true whether the contract was drawn up with a pen on the back of a napkin, or by mobilizing the benefits of distributed ledger technology (DLT), more familiarly known as blockchain.
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Why the world needs better – not less – globalization
Monday 14th of December 2020
Globalization is the most progressive force in the history of humankind. It has heralded more rapid improvements to more people than any other human intervention. While COVID-19 has temporarily disrupted some cogs in the chains of moving goods, services, people and – to a lesser extent ideas – that constitutes globalization, it has accelerated others.
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This Belgian start-up allows anyone to become an urban farmer
Monday 14th of December 2020
A Belgian start-up is helping people in major cities turn their hand to urban farming.
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How China pays for its COVID-19 medical bills
Monday 14th of December 2020
• China covers the COVID-19 medical costs for all patients including domestic migrants.
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How big data could anticipate violence and promote peace
Monday 14th of December 2020
Big data – the use of advanced computing techniques, like machine learning, to analyse massive amounts of data – is continually demonstrating its benefit across scientific fields and the business world, as it produces fresh insights.
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A 4-point checklist for assessing countries’ vaccine readiness
Monday 14th of December 2020
As the world finds itself swinging in and out of lockdowns and restrictions, news of the arrival of three COVID-19 vaccines in quick succession has created a sense of optimism in the fight against the pandemic. However, from a global health perspective, the efforts against COVID-19 have only just shifted into a new gear.
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How COVID-19 could make our cities doughnut-shaped
Monday 14th of December 2020
The most COVID-19 lockdowns were accompanied by sobering news from the UK’s high streets. The Arcadia Group, which owns some of the UK’s most iconic high street clothing retail outlets – Topshop, Topman and Dorothy Perkins, among others – has gone into administration.
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This chart shows how debt-to-GDP is rising around the world
Monday 14th of December 2020
With vaccines slowly obtaining approval in various countries, the world may finally be on the path to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
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UNEP: Net-zero pledges provide an ‘opening’ to close growing emissions ‘gap’
Monday 14th of December 2020
The recent net-zero pledges by major emitting countries and the potential for a “green recovery” from the Covid-19 pandemic “presents the opening” for the world to close the growing “gap” between existing commitments and what is needed to limit global warming to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
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UN economist: We need a post-war playbook for a post-COVID recovery
Monday 14th of December 2020
The world is not yet sufficiently alarmed by how much the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the global economy. We track the daily numbers of infections and casualties. But we are oblivious to the job losses and lives upended, especially in the developing world, where the pandemic has barely elicited a public-health response.
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U.N. chief calls for more climate finance for poor nations as 2020 goal slips
Monday 14th of December 2020
Rich nations are “lagging badly” on a longstanding pledge to channel $100 billion a year in funding, from 2020 onwards, to help poorer countries develop cleanly and adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change, the U.N. chief said.
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Being around birds linked to higher happiness levels
Monday 14th of December 2020
A new study reveals that greater bird biodiversity brings greater joy to people, according to recent findings from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research. In fact, scientists concluded that conservation is just as important for human well-being as financial security.
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COVID-19: 3 important questions about vaccines, answered by an expert
Monday 14th of December 2020
If we are ever to return to some semblance of normality, then the world’s population needs to be immune to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But with so many different vaccines in production, questions are undoubtedly going to be raised, such as can I still have a vaccine if I have been involved in a trial testing other versions? And, what if I’ve already had COVID – do I still need a vaccine?
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The silent epidemic that is three times as deadly as COVID
Monday 14th of December 2020
It’s the silent epidemic that claims 4.2 million lives around the world every year – almost three times as many deaths as COVID-19. Diabetes is on the march, with experts predicting that one in 10 of us will be affected by 2045.
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In London, children are helping to design the streets
Monday 14th of December 2020
Children see the world differently. A busy road can be an insurmountable barrier, an underpass an intimidating place full of danger, a patch of grass an oasis of fun where imaginations can run free. The urban environment shapes the lives of hundreds of millions of young lives. But children have rarely been considered, let alone consulted, by those who plan and build our cities.
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How can we avoid a ‘dirty’ recovery from COVID-19?
Monday 14th of December 2020
The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for climate governance are hotly debated. While some fear that we are in for a ‘dirty recovery’, with the economic fallout from the pandemic crowding out climate-related concerns, others have expressed hope that the crisis could mark a ‘historic turning point’ for more ambitious action.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 14 December
Monday 14th of December 2020
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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What is fusion energy, and what will it take for it to go mainstream?
Friday 11th of December 2020
The world urgently needs a carbon-free, safe, clean and limitless source of energy to provide cheap electricity. Fusion energy has the potential to meet this need.
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5 critical things we need to do to protect our ocean
Friday 11th of December 2020
2020 was supposed to be a super year for the ocean.
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Emissions cuts in line with Paris Agreement would see benefits ‘within two decades’
Friday 11th of December 2020
Reducing global emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s goals would have a clear impact on global temperatures within two decades, a new study says.
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10 ways we can build a better relationship with the future
Friday 11th of December 2020
Individually and collectively, we have a profound ability to imagine futures that are radically different from the present, and to transform what we envision into reality. Our growing mastery of the physical, biological and digital worlds we inhabit attests to this.
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This is where people live the longest in the EU
Friday 11th of December 2020
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” as Benjamin Franklin remarked. But just as tax rates differ depending on the jurisdiction, so life expectancy varies across borders.
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Shift to digital during the pandemic could enable universal health coverage
Friday 11th of December 2020
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which started as an outbreak in one country, and very quickly travelled around the world, makes a strong case for investment in global public health and has resurrected the debate of universal health coverage (UHC).
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These scientists have a new theory about the universe. Here’s what you need to know
Friday 11th of December 2020
Matter is what makes up the universe, but what makes up matter? This question has long been tricky for those who think about it – especially for the physicists. Reflecting recent trends in physics, my colleague Jeffrey Eischen and I have described an updated way to think about matter. We propose that matter is not made of particles or waves, as was long thought, but – more fundamentally – that matter is made of fragments of energy.
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3 lessons from our immune systems on how to tackle COVID-19
Friday 11th of December 2020
To provide physicians with actionable insights which can inform treatment decisions, the medical world is leveraging a very sensitive and accurate natural detection system: the human immune system.
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Out of balance: Everything made by humans now outweighs everything made by nature
Friday 11th of December 2020
Our deficiencies have always driven us, even among our distant ancestors, back in the last Ice Age. Having neither the speed and strength to hunt large prey, nor sharp teeth and claws to tear flesh, we improvised spears, flint knives, scrapers. Lacking a thick pelt, we took the fur of other animals. As the ice receded, we devised more means of survival and comfort – stone dwellings, ploughs, wheeled vehicles. All these inventions allowed small oases of civilisation to be wrested from a natural wilderness that seemed endless.
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Giant iceberg on course to ‘devastate wildlife’ on penguin colony island
Friday 11th of December 2020
An enormous iceberg is heading toward South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic, where scientists say a collision could devastate wildlife by threatening the food chain.
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These toymakers are giving their products a COVID-19 twist for Christmas
Friday 11th of December 2020
Children in Spain and Portugal could find that their Christmas presents this year reflect the coronavirus pandemic as dolls wearing face masks, kits for making personal protection items, and other toys adapted to fit the times fly off shop shelves.
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From arm-sized worms to the Screaming Sixties, this is everything to know about the Southern Ocean
Friday 11th of December 2020
In 2018, a map named after an oceanographer went viral.
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The major threat to global financial security we’re not doing enough about
Friday 11th of December 2020
Many of us take for granted the ability to withdraw money from our bank account, wire it to family in another country, and pay bills online. Amid the global pandemic, we’ve seen how much digital connection matters to our everyday life. But what if a cyberattack takes the bank down and a remittance doesn’t go through?
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London is ranked the world’s most ‘magnetic’ city for 9th year in a row
Friday 11th of December 2020
London has been rated the world’s most “magnetic” city for the ninth consecutive year, confounding critics who said Brexit, and the political turmoil it generated, would harm its standing as the globe’s most attractive capital.
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Warner Bros. is streaming all its films next year – this is what it means for the movie industry
Friday 11th of December 2020
Warner Bros. is to stream all its 2021 films online on the same day they’re released in US cinemas in what is being seen as a blow to the struggling cinema industry.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 11 December
Friday 11th of December 2020
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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Why blockchain’s final touches may well be human
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Blockchain technology has been touted as general-purpose technology with the potential to be as powerful and disruptive as the internet.
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Car-parking space: the next great urban frontier
Thursday 10th of December 2020
The next urban frontier may be found where we least expect it. It is the space devoted to parking cars, which are idle for 95% of the time. Taken together, these scattered fragments of real estate constitute a great expanse – an area in the US as vast as the state of Connecticut.
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This is how we can save millions of people from extreme poverty after COVID-19
Thursday 10th of December 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic could push another 200 million people into extreme poverty unless action is taken to accelerate development efforts, according to a new United Nations report.
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Sports as a service: Will COVID-19 change how we watch sports?
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Coronavirus has dramatically impacted professional sports this year, with most experiencing an enforced pause in activity. The industry showed amazing leadership in responding to the logistical and operational challenges that COVID-19 has presented, with the quick return of sports a great success story. Once matches resumed, however, data showed that viewership on television decreased across almost every major sport.
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5 traits of organizations that use tech responsibly
Thursday 10th of December 2020
As new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and blockchain become mainstream, and their practical uses more pervasive, myriad new business opportunities will be created.
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5 areas to focus on to tackle racial inequality
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Despite decades of efforts by public-, private-, and social-sector organizations, racial inequity has only increased. Can a concerted, coordinated effort reverse this trend?
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3 ways world leaders can help Africa’s embattled youth
Thursday 10th of December 2020
On 10 November 1995, nine Nigerian environmental justice activists were publicly executed under the repressive military regime of General Sani Abacha. The activists, among them the renowned Ken Saro-Wiwa, were advocates for the cleanup and remediation of the Ogoni area of southern Nigeria, where spillages from oil exploration activities were causing devastation to the area and threatening public health.
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Real estate must offer human experiences, as we escape virtual lockdown living
Thursday 10th of December 2020
As the post-pandemic world begins to emerge and people seek experiences outside of their homes, it is becoming clear the pre-pandemic real-estate industry may have gone too far in how it valued real estate that was not fully conceived around people. Clearly, how buildings and places are designed to value human experience will be an important part of the equation as we enter a new era.
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The world is on track to warm by 3 degrees Celsius
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions reached a new high last year, putting the world on track for an average temperature rise of 3 degrees Celsius, a U.N. report showed.
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Three stories from the frontlines of two global crises
Thursday 10th of December 2020
The prevailing lockdowns and travel bans of the COVID-19 pandemic offer a critical lesson in international development: investing in local institutions is crucial to building resilience to crises. When international aid organizations evacuated their staff at the beginning of the pandemic, local organizations were left to fill in the gaps. In fact, a survey of nearly 600 development professionals found that 51% of aid workers cited increased reliance on local actors to carry out their projects, a dependence that grew over the course of March, April and May.
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How COVID-19 has changed the face of fundraising for higher education
Thursday 10th of December 2020
There is a tendency to make a clear distinction between philanthropy and solidarity. Philanthropy is seen to be private in nature, to belong to the realm of the individual and an economic, liberal school of thought. It often offers a tax exemption and is thought to focus on independent causes and a long-term return – sometimes across generations, when it comes to family foundations.
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Global action on malaria is stalling. In some countries it could be a greater threat than COVID
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Malaria will probably kill more people than COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa this year, according to the World Health Organization.
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Human rights must find a permanent place in the boardroom. Here’s why
Thursday 10th of December 2020
10 December is Human Rights Day marking 72 years since the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, forged amid the destruction and persecution in the aftermath of the Second World War.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 10 December
Thursday 10th of December 2020
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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How to bridge the skills gap between employers and workers
Thursday 10th of December 2020
• The COVID-19 pandemic has widened the skills gap.
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These are the countries that have the greatest trust in their health services
Thursday 10th of December 2020
As health services around the world battle COVID-19, public trust in them is growing.
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Tackling human rights abuses is critical to sustainable life at sea and on land
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Traditionally, Human Rights Day has focused on international human rights abuses that take place on land: modern slavery, cruel and inhuman treatment and unfavourable conditions of employment, to name a few.
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Cloud and SaaS technology can drive inclusive banking. Here are 3 reasons how
Thursday 10th of December 2020
In a recent blog for Agenda, the IMF highlighted the ‘game changing’ impact that digital technology could have on financial inclusion. It referenced surges in mobile phone penetration being an opportunity to extend financial services widely, reaching underserved communities.
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How to ensure that connected homes are for everyone
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, social housing organisations have been forced to move their services online and to shift to home working. This has accelerated their move towards digital-by-design organisations. Incorporating data standards and embracing the opportunities of smart homes are the next steps they need to take.
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How a history of ‘medical racism’ may fuel mistrust in COVID-19 vaccines
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
A Black cast member of the American comedy mainstay “Saturday Night Live” recently quipped that while he’s skeptical about taking a COVID-19 vaccine, “on the other hand I’m on a white TV show so I might actually get the real one.”
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The Top 10 Tech of 2020 – our podcast with Scientific American
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
In the future, genetic sequencing will speed up the development of vital new drugs; they’ll be tested on ‘virtual’ patients and the ‘microneedle’ used to administer them means you won’t even feel the injection.
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Can Indonesia wipe out plastic pollution for good? New House on Fire podcast
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
The fourth episode of House on Fire examines Indonesia’s ambitious national plan to rid itself of plastic waste within a generation. Can the world’s second-largest plastic polluter accomplish this gargantuan task, and how?
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4 myths about corruption
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
Corruption thrives in times of crisis. This is the message from the United Nations on International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December.
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Tasmania is now powered entirely by renewable energy
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
The Australian island state of Tasmania now runs on 100% renewable energy, having met its goal to be fully self-sufficient on green energy two years ahead of schedule.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 9 December
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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Analysis: When might the world exceed 1.5C and 2C of global warming?
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
Under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, virtually all the world’s nations pledged to limit global warming to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels and also, if possible, “pursue” efforts to cap warming at 1.5C. At present, the world is not close to being on track to meet either target.
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Arctic Ocean: Climate change is flooding the remote north with light – and new species
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
At just over 14 million square kilometres, the Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s oceans. It is also the coldest. An expansive raft of sea ice floats near its centre, expanding in the long, cold, dark winter, and contracting in the summer, as the Sun climbs higher in the sky.