Blogs and Opinions
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Want to cut greenhouse gas emissions? Look to digital technologies
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Tackling climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Over the next decade, the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) – particularly 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) – will provide essential tools for increasing efficiency in the economy and preparing for a post-fossil fuel society.
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3 things to know about our Sustainable Development Impact Summit
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
How can we accelerate action on sustainable development?
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Insurers must earn clients’ trust to unlock the power of data
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
For centuries, insurance has been driven by data. Traditionally, customers were asked a series of questions to create policies that would make them safer and their lives easier.
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The inspiring story behind this picture of two world leaders
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
There have been few openly gay world leaders in recent history.
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This farmer used an age-old technique to save his soil and now his farm is prospering
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Our soil is under threat.
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Managers, technology and how to improve productivity
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is a measure used by economists and business people to quantify the productivity of economies and firms. It essentially measures how efficiently and intensively the inputs to production (like capital and labour) are used. TFP receives a lot of attention and is often the main point of motivation behind research projects. Technology affects how these inputs are assembled, and we can look at technology either as tangible (new and better machines), or intangible (such as managerial practices and production processes).
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Scientists have been investigating the Loch Ness monster. This is what they’ve found
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Scientists claim to have finally found a “plausible theory” for sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. She’s not an aquatic reptile left over from the Jurassic era or a circus elephant that got in the water to bathe with her trunk aloft. If Nessie ever existed at all, she was most likely a giant eel, according to a new scientific survey of the loch.
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The future of sustainability: recycling carbon through the power of the sun
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
In August last year, the Trump administration proposed the weakening of vehicle emission regulations, causing concern for climate advocates. This follows its decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement, signed in 2015, which sets specific goals to combat climate change and lower carbon emissions globally. The central aim of this agreement is to restrict global temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius, through nationally determined contributions from each of the 127 signatory countries. The proposal to weaken the emission regulations of vehicles is likely to be a significant setback to global efforts to lower carbon and greenhouse gas concentration, particularly because transportation accounts for 28% of emissions within the US. The lack of political acceptability of climate change policies, however, is not simply limited to the Trump administration agenda, but stems from the high cost of lowering carbon emissions, the unpopularity of a carbon tax, and lingering scepticism about climate change.
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Energy efficiency and the fight against climate change
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
Investments in renewable energy have exceeded $1 trillion over the past three years. Solar and wind, along with hydro and geothermal systems, are providing low-cost alternatives to fossil fuel-based energy.
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3 ways to accelerate the energy transition
Wednesday 18th of September 2019
We are running out of time to meet the Paris Agreement and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 on sustainable energy – “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
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Ending the era of dirty textiles
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Sustainability has gained a lot of traction in the textile industry over the last few years. Purchase decisions are no longer only made on the basis of fashion and comfort. Consumers are increasingly demanding more eco-friendly textiles.
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Making the move to more sustainable mobility – three steps for companies
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Gridlocked highways, smog over buildings and armies of unhappy and angry commuters are images seen in cities around the world. But a different vision – one of people on bicycles, buses, trains and shared electric vehicles – is part of the global community’s imagination. How do we get there?
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Elderly people make up a third of Japan’s population – and it’s reshaping the country
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Japan is getting greyer. Almost a third of its population is over 65; there are 2.3 billion people in their 70s. And there are more people than ever blowing out 100 birthday candles.
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Here’s how to close the $176 billion health financing gap
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
The question of how we pay for healthcare has taken centre stage on the global agenda. US presidential candidates are debating concepts like “Medicare for All”. South Africa’s parliament is reviewing its first National Health Insurance bill. Vietnam is exploring new health benefits for people with disabilities. And in September, the world’s leaders are gathering in New York City for the inaugural United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
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How private investment can boost education access and quality in the digital economy
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Education can close achievement gaps and lift communities and individuals from poverty. As literacy rates rise around the world, the link between education and income is more evident. At the same time, the cost of education has increased dramatically.
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The first-ever climate telethon has raised $2.6 million for new forests
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Danish people have donated $2.6 million in what’s been called be the world’s first climate telethon.
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How to follow #ies19, our India Economic Summit in New Delhi
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Hosted in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the aim of the India Economic Summit 2019 is to enhance global growth by promoting collaboration among South Asian countries and the ASEAN economic bloc. The two-day meeting will convene key leaders from government, private sector, academia and civil society to accelerate the adoption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and make the most of their distinctive demographic dividends.
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Why the Fourth Industrial Revolution could spell more jobs – not fewer
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Ever since Homo erectus carved a piece of stone into a tool, the welfare of humanity has been on the increase. This technological breakthrough led first to the hand axe, and eventually to the iPhone. We have found it convenient to organize the most dramatic period of change between these two inventions – beginning roughly in the year 1760 – into four industrial revolutions.
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The rise of the robo-restaurant: AI is ready to take your order
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Have you ever stood at the counter of a fast-food restaurant unsure of what to order? Well, that could become a thing of the past – artificial intelligence is cooking up something especially for you.
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This start-up made doing good a business priority – and flourished
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Businesses cannot afford to ignore the social impact of their business or the interests of their wider stakeholders, as the Business Roundtable explained in the updated Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. Today, the “business as usual” approach to social and environmental concerns is simply insufficient given the rapid pace of change and disruption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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Could a progressive consumption tax reduce wealth inequality?
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Is it time for the United States to consider switching from income tax to a progressive consumption tax as a way of addressing growing wealth inequality? Many economists have long favored a consumption-based tax system for raising revenue on the grounds of efficiency and simplicity. However, despite occasional vocal adherents, it has never gained political traction. Is it time to think again?
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The mobile industry contributes nearly $4 trillion to the global economy. It’s more important than ever
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
The mobile revolution has completely changed our lives, and as data from GSMA shows, it has had the same effect on the global economy. Last year, 4.6 percent of global GDP came from the mobile industry – equating to $3.9 trillion. The APAC region contributed the most to this total, with $1.6 trillion generated. In terms of regional dominance though, mobile is the most important to the economy in West Africa, accounting for 8.7 percent of total GDP. The situation is very similar in Sub-Saharan Africa, too, where the proportion is 8.6 percent.Looking back over previous years, it is also clear how this importance is increasing around the globe. In 2014, the global economy had the mobile industry to thank for 3.8 percent of GDP. In 2022, GSMA forecasts this to have reached 4.8 percent.
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Trade uncertainty hangs over the global economy. This new index explains what that means for you
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Rising trade uncertainty is cited as a driving factor for “sluggish global growth” in the current issue of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, which describes the state of the world economy.
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Why responsible consumption is everyone’s business
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Your closet. Your desk. Your drawers. Your private spaces never to be seen by guests or colleagues. These are the areas where we accumulate stuff. And they are where each one of us needs to start, if we are to reduce the impact of global consumption on the planet.
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6 innovative technologies about to transform our infrastructure
Tuesday 17th of September 2019
Stewing in a traffic jam, huffing over a late train or waiting out a delayed flight at an overburdened airport, one can be forgiven for feeling frustrated by creaking infrastructure.