Blogs and Opinions
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This light show in a field isn’t just pretty – it’s helping grow crops with less need for pesticides
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
A 20,000-square-metre artwork that sees coloured lights appear to dance over a field at night is said to encourage crop growth – and is highlighting the importance of innovation in creating sustainable agriculture.
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Capital markets can help us reach our climate change goals
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s commitment to speed up emissions cuts in one of the world’s top-polluting nations and reach carbon neutrality by 2060 took the world by surprise. Hong Kong, the financial gateway to mainland China, followed by setting a goal to become carbon neutral by 2050.
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How collaboration can help us tackle our biggest challenges
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
As we reflect back on 2020, words like cooperation and collaboration may not immediately spring to mind. Not only were we physically separated from each other – but many divisions seemed to widen.
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Meet Sir Tim Berners-Lee: First he designed the World Wide Web, now he’s redesigning it
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist who was knighted for inventing the internet navigation system known as the World Wide Web, wants to re-make cyberspace once again.
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Driving change: What’s in store for the future of commuting?
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Despite being in a global pandemic, essential low-wage workers, healthcare providers, knowledge workers and many others have continued to work. However, since the start of lockdowns in March, some 42 percent of the U.S. workforce has been from working home full-time.
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Extreme droughts may hit twice as many people by century’s end
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
By the late 21st century, the global land area and number of people facing extreme droughts could more than double, going from 3% during 1976-2005 to 7%-8%, researchers report.
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Why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask sensitive questions, according to the experts
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
In the dance that is conversation, participants are often reluctant to ask sensitive questions for fear of stepping on their partner’s toes. But that fear is overblown, according to new research that shows that most people don’t really mind answering sensitive questions, and asking them doesn’t leave a bad impression. In fact, direct questions about delicate topics can lead to deeper, more meaningful conversations that foster greater understanding and bring people closer together. Einav Hart, assistant management professor at George Mason University; Eric VanEpps, assistant marketing professor at the University of Utah; and Maurice Schweitzer, a Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions, talked to [email protected] about their paper, “The (Better Than Expected) Consequences of Asking Sensitive Questions,” which was published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. They explained why we might too frequently avoid touchy subjects during conversation, whether with strangers, co-workers or friends.
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5 reasons to be optimistic about clean energy in 2021
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
The energy sector, still dominated by fossil fuels, is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. We know people and nations need reliable sources of energy to power hospitals and light schools, and to safely cook, heat or cool their homes. We know we need to switch to sustainable energy. Yet despite progress, we are not on track to meet our climate goals and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 – universal access to clean, affordable and reliable energy.
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Why it’s vital that AI is able to explain the decisions it makes
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has created computers that can drive cars, synthesize chemical compounds, fold proteins and detect high-energy particles at a superhuman level.
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Health crisis: This is how much waste is being burned in the open every year
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
As much as one billion tonnes of waste could be burned in open and uncontrolled fires around the world each year, according to one estimate – close to half of all the municipal solid waste generated on Earth. But even if the true total is a fraction of that amount, the impact on human health and the environment is likely to be profound, particularly for the hundreds of millions of people living in countries throughout the global south where burning rubbish outdoors is the main method of waste treatment.
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What is a ‘vaccine passport’ and will you need one the next time you travel?
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
For some countries, access to vaccines are increasingly a reality, and millions of vaccines have been purchased with the hope that in time the world’s populations could become COVID-19 immune.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 20 January
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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How companies can lead purposeful action in the skilling revolution
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Even before the pandemic, it was thought 1 billion jobs would be transformed by technology in the next decade, fuelled by growth in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and big data.
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4 areas we can decode to achieve a sustainable decade
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
Noone could ever have imagined that the onset of the new decade that dawned in 2020 would be so unsettling. The changes brought about by various social, geopolitical, technological, environmental and economic factors have already reshaped the world order – and we are just one year in.
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This new approach to credit scoring is accelerating financial inclusion in emerging economies
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
The concept of credit scoring first arose in the US and was initially deemed to be successful to the degree it was used as a primary, or even sole, mechanism for identifying one’s financial fitness.
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Digital was our lifeline in 2020, and we are more positive about it since
Wednesday 20th of January 2021
As we look back on an extraordinary 2020, it’s clear that many old patterns of work, leisure and learning have been transformed. But what impact has this had on how people feel about digital?
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5 ways business can support and partner with social entrepreneurs
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Mainstream businesses are striving to increase their positive contribution to society, replacing the old shareholder model with a focus on a wider range of stakeholders. As part of this broad agenda of making business more sustainable, there is much potential in developing partnerships with social entrepreneurs and businesses. This is all the more urgent as the COVID crisis has pushed many people back into poverty and the impact of climate change is increasing.
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How to close the digital gap for the elderly
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Many young people have embraced the convenience of digital technologies such as online shopping, car hailing, digital payments, and telemedicine. But many elderly without a grasp of the latest knowledge are at risk of being left behind.
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How to solve the investment puzzle of clean energy transitions in the developing world
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Our energy and climate future increasingly hinges on the decisions made in emerging market and developing economies. These areas currently account for around two-thirds of global carbon emissions – with one-third occurring in China and another third arising from other markets – and would represent the largest source of future emissions growth if insufficient action is taken to transform their energy systems.
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3 technologies that are making education more accessible
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Educational technology – or “edtech” – entered public consciousness over the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic moved learners young and old out of the classroom and into the virtual world of remote education.
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7 ways AI could restore trust in public services
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
• The large volumes of data handled by government agencies makes them perfect candidates for management by artificial intelligence (AI).
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The pandemic’s most vital lesson? Business can’t go it alone
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
• The pandemic has reminded us that business organizations are primarily about people.
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Reimagining the future of the tax system
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Do you believe that 2021 is the year of re-imagining? I do, whether it’s the result of a strategic business decision, a recovery plan to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, or the reaction to a world that’s changed around us – immensely and immutably – over the past year.
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These new allies for governments can help attain equitable, lasting change
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
The economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be more severe, more unequal and longer-lasting than anyone has imagined. With increased uncertainty due to new virus strains and renewed lockdown measures, healing the wounds of COVID-19 will be a formidable, high-stakes task for societies and, particularly, for governments.
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Helping small businesses build financial resilience
Tuesday 19th of January 2021
Small businesses in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) are facing enormous challenges. Many have been left cash-strapped due to plummeting revenues during national and global COVID-19 lockdowns. Banks and other financiers have slashed lending at a time when small businesses need it most. And other forms of finance and credit are thin on the ground, making it nearly impossible for them to grow and build financial resilience.