Blogs and Opinions
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How the petrochemicals industry can reduce its carbon footprint
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Petrochemicals have played a crucial role in society for over 50 years and throughout that time the industry has constantly evolved, adopting novel technologies and processes to drive efficiency improvements and cost reductions. The focus is now on how to reduce the carbon footprint of the chemical industry, which is the third largest emitting industry behind the iron/steel and cement industries.
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This is the state of the climate in Africa – and why it urgently matters to us all
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Within the next 10 years, Mount Kenya could become one of the first major mountain ranges in the world to completely lose its glaciers through human-induced climate change.
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A kidney transplant from a pig to a human has worked. What you need to know
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Earlier this week, surgeons at New York University’s Langone Transplant Institute successfully performed a pig kidney transplant. This in itself would be unremarkable. What does mark the achievement as unprecedented is the identity of the donor – a genetically modified pig.
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Prey to project: Fishermen and scientists have teamed up to save Bolivia’s pink river dolphins
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Fishermen who once angled for rare pink river dolphins are working with researchers in Bolivia’s Amazon jungle in a high-tech bid to assure the species’ survival and better understand their needs.
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Why the world needs to embrace open science
Thursday 21st of October 2021
The UN Secretary-General’s annual Sustainable Development Goals’ progress report states that by early 2020 the world was not on track to meet its 2030 targets. Alongside the devastating consequences of COVID-19, the report also cites the limited availability of quality data, including internationally comparable data on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as an impediment to effective decision-making.
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This ‘smart’ walking stick works like a self-driving car
Thursday 21st of October 2021
A new, affordable smart cane guides people with visual impairments safely and efficiently through their environments, say researchers.
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These stunning photographs show how vital mangroves are to the health of the planet
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Mangrove forests, with their roots knee-deep in the sea, provide shelter for endangered wildlife, food for coastal communities, and a rich ecosystem with the ability to extract up to five times as much carbon from the atmosphere as forests on land.
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How has COVID-19 hit Africa? Here’s what the data tells us
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Early predictions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by some public health scientists painted a gloomy picture for Africa. The continent was expected to suffer a huge burden of disease and death. These predictions have not held true. The continent has experienced fewer deaths than predicted.
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How does your personality type affect your income?
Thursday 21st of October 2021
You’ve just finished giving a presentation at work, and an outspoken coworker challenges your ideas. Do you:
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China’s tier-one cities are the testing ground for robotaxis
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Tests with driverless taxi services have been underway in China’s major cities, also called tier one cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Still a novelty today, robotaxis are expected to experience a quick rollout in China’s main metropolises. Numbers by McKinsey & Company show that less than ten years down the line, driverless taxis are projected to service between a fifth and a quarter of all kilometers passengers travel on shared mobility in those cities.
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How innovative construction could ease Namibia’s housing crisis
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Namibia faces a housing crisis. It needs some half a million new homes but 90% of Namibian households would not qualify for a mortgage to buy them. The problem is chronically mismanaged housing market economics, debt, muted income growth and reliance on cash lending. For now, these exclude most Namibians from home ownership.
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The energy transition needs metals. But it needs social awareness too
Thursday 21st of October 2021
The energy landscape and the transition to a low-carbon future is moving at an extraordinary pace. Different groups and regions will be impacted in varying ways. There will be winners and losers.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 21 October
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 242 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.92 million. More than 6.72 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
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How online platforms must respond to a new era of internet governance
Thursday 21st of October 2021
Almost two decades after the rise of online platforms, governments across the world including in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, have started designing new frameworks to regulate these services. Debate and controversy has been rife, including the recent Congressional hearing of the Facebook whistle-blower Frances Haugen and Apple’s reversal of its plan to scan images and videos on its devices to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Increased regulation will have important implications both for these businesses and for wider society.
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Here’s how organizations can put intersectionality to work
Thursday 21st of October 2021
In recent years there has been much discussion about the impact that racial, gender-based and class-based discrimination and discriminatory practices have on society. Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw has been one of the leaders in this field. She first coined the term ‘intersectionality’ which she defined as the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect, especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.
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How venture capital investment in deep tech can tackle climate change
Thursday 21st of October 2021
This is one of a series of articles written by Young Global Leaders with action-oriented ideas to improve the state of the world by 2030.
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How can governments embrace innovation to navigate a disrupted world?
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
Climate change, the pandemic, cyber-risks and new technologies all disrupt our social and economic systems—for better or for worse. Governments are under increasing pressure to adapt governance techniques to create dynamic, flexible policy-making. How can governments embrace innovation in their own practices to navigate a disrupted world?
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Protecting critical infrastructure from a cyber pandemic
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
We are in the midst of a “cyber pandemic”. In 2020, COVID-19 accelerated a transition towards remote working and the software being used for these attacks has become easier to execute, ransomware attacks have risen rapidly and continue to accelerate in 2021:
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How we can make gene therapies available to all
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
Two babies are born with the same genetic condition, sickle cell disease (SCD). One can access and afford a life-changing treatment, able to live a full and healthy life. The other will most likely die young. The difference between these outcomes is a curative gene therapy treatment.
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How decentralized systems can help rebuild local communities
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
The 1946 Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, celebrated the role of community banks, cooperatives, and credit unions in helping communities invest in their residents and build better lives. This vision, known as “community capitalism” during the post-World War II years, guided America’s recovery from the debt load and social dislocations of the Great Depression and World War II.
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3 external risks to democracy and how to address them
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
The deliberative nature of democracy seems to have finally overcome the hubristic triumphalism of the 1990s. Amidst the treacherous times we live in, Western democracies are showing increasing awareness of the internal challenges they face. Disillusionment is rife among youth, impatience and anger are growing over the inadequacy of measures to address climate change, and the threats posed by populism are far from over amidst a still elusive post-pandemic recovery.
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The world’s largest floating office has just launched – is this the answer to our flood-prone future?
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
In a Dutch port more used to cargo ships and cranes, the world’s largest floating office has just settled into the harbour.
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Where can you find the world’s most sustainable coffee? In a lab in Finland, of course…
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
Coffee – it’s likely an integral part of your daily routine. Indeed, 25 million people depend on it for their well-being while, globally, we get through 600 billion cups of coffee each year, according to the Sustainable Coffee Challenge.
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Hurricanes are having an increasing impact on coastal communities. This is how policy-makers can respond
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
The southeastern coast of the United States is threatened yearly by hurricanes, some receiving more media coverage and resources than others. Coastal states such as Florida experience more hurricane impacts than other states and thus the greatest labor market disruptions from these disasters. My recent study analyzes the effect hurricanes have on employment and wage growth in Florida counties. The study also demonstrates the importance of using hurricane strength measures. Results show that the job growth effect of hurricanes is felt primarily through falling employment growth in the quarter following a hurricane. Strong hurricanes damage both employers and employees, but impose greater consequences on employees through labor displacement that may either be temporary or permanent. Temporary relocation to areas not affected by hurricanes restricts workers from jobs and income needed to address post-hurricane concerns such as secure housing. Where relocation is permanent, workers are faced with the challenge of seeking new jobs. The process of resettlement can lead to long term unemployment, further episodes of job loss and lower wages.
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These are the world’s most and least powerful passports
Wednesday 20th of October 2021
Some passports afford their bearers more freedom than others. In 2021, Japan and Singapore were named the countries with the world’s most powerful passports by the Henley Passport Index. Holders of these passports have the unbeatable luxury of being able to enter 192 countries without applying for and receiving a visa beforehand. South Korea (not pictured) and Germany follow with visa-free travel to 190 jurisdictions.