Blogs and Opinions
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ESG is missing a metric: R for resilience
Monday 7th of June 2021
• In a world of increasing upheaval, ESG investors must also be able to assess resilience.
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Human-centric tech will make AI faster and fairer. Here’s how.
Monday 7th of June 2021
Under traditional machine learning (ML) methods, humans perform the often time-consuming and expensive task of annotating each and every row of data needed; successful artificial intelligence (AI) models require thousands, if not millions, of units of accurately labeled training data.
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People of colour exposed to twice as much heat stress in US cities
Monday 7th of June 2021
On average, people of colour live in the hottest part of town in most US cities, according to a new study. Exposure to heat stress can lead to heat-related health issues like strokes, dehydration or even premature death.Concrete buildings, roads and infrastructure in cities hold more heat than nature-rich areas – a phenomenon known as Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI). But heat stress levels can also differ from one neighbourhood to the next, depending on the abundance of trees and greenery.
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IMF: How to reduce COVID-19’s unequal effects across workers
Monday 7th of June 2021
Lower-skilled and young workers were among the hardest hit from the pandemic, suffering job losses in record numbers last year. Some of those jobs may never reappear as economies readjust to a post-pandemic world. Longer-term changes appear likely in terms of the mix of jobs in the economy—some sectors and occupations will permanently shrink, and others will expand. With many unemployed workers still struggling to regain their pre-pandemic salaries and other fundamental shifts underway, incomes across workers are likely to diverge further.
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In Nairobi, this informal settlement is changing how we adapt to floods
Monday 7th of June 2021
During Caroline Owala’s childhood, flooding during rainstorms was a normal occurrence. “When it rained, it would be very difficult for us to even sleep because the flooding would get into the houses,” she told WRI. Caroline grew up in Kibera, the largest informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Nestled alongside the Ngong River, the settlement was at the mercy of the riverbed. During heavy rain, residents would watch as the river water spilled over, invading their homes before traveling into the rest of settlement.
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Cities: Could taller buildings bring about a better quality of life?
Monday 7th of June 2021
Taller buildings are key to enhancing quality of life as the world’s urban population grows, but cities should not become obsessed with skyscrapers and must prepare for horizontal expansion as newcomers arrive, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
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What lies ahead for inflation and interest rates?
Monday 7th of June 2021
The latest rise in the inflation rate to 4.2% for April 2021 has fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates and tighten monetary policy. The rise in the consumer price index for all items is the largest 12-month increase since a 4.9% increase in September 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported earlier this month.
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More than 50,000 Australian species remain undiscovered. This is how scientists plan to find them
Monday 7th of June 2021
Here are two quiz questions for you. How many species of animals, plants, fungi, fish, insects and other organisms live in Australia? And how many of these have been discovered and named?
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Everything you need to know about the G7’s plans for a global minimum tax
Monday 7th of June 2021
Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations reached a landmark accord on June 5th backing the creation of a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15%, an agreement that could then form the basis of a worldwide deal.
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How can we make careers in corporate social innovation popular among young people?
Monday 7th of June 2021
As the climate around consumerism and impact has shifted, so too has the push to encourage more students to embrace corporate social innovation as a viable career path.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 7 June
Monday 7th of June 2021
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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COVID-19 tests rely on bacteria discovered in a natural pool in the 1960s – and it’s not the only slice of nature essential to medicine
Monday 7th of June 2021
More than one billion COVID-19 tests have been carried out by just five countries. Together, the US, India, the UK, Italy and Turkey had conducted 1.046 billion tests by 20 May, 2021, according to Our World in Data.