Blogs and Opinions
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Busting global myths on hybrid work: here’s how flexibility can help companies and employees thrive
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Global headlines tell us the world’s biggest brands are taking a wide range of approaches to remote work – with some saying “we will no longer have offices” to others saying “everybody come back”. Every company has to do what works for them. At Dell Technologies, leading with flexibility works for us and we believe in providing more options, not less.
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Employers in the US are cutting back on parental leave, survey shows
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Employers in the US appear to be cutting back on paid maternity and paternity leave.
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Why dialogue is an essential tool for peace, security and development
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Violent extremism is born from distorted interpretations of culture, hatred and ignorance and threatens our societies’ foundations – tearing us apart and weakening collaboration. And according to the Global Peace Index 2022, violent extremism is on the rise, with a 17% increase in attacks in 2021.
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Here’s how solar energy saved Europeans $29 billion this summer
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Solar power is helping Europe navigate an energy crisis of “unprecedented proportions” and save billions of euros in avoided gas imports, a new report finds.
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Hurricane Ian and other environment stories you need to read this week
Monday 3rd of October 2022
The death toll from Hurricane Ian climbed past 80 on 2 October. Residents in Florida and North and South Carolina face a recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and some officials have faced criticism over their response to the storm. The death toll is expected to keep rising as the floodwaters recede. US President Joe Biden warned on 29 September that Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest in Florida’s history.
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The International Monetary Fund: What does the world’s ‘financial firefighter’ do?
Monday 3rd of October 2022
A new government in the UK put forth a fiscal plan last month that included steep tax cuts. The proposal rattled the financial markets and caused the value of the British pound to plummet, with many critics voicing concern that the plan would increase the UK’s debt. This week, the UK government announced it will drop the controversial tax plan.
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How to boost local economic, health and conservation outcomes through outdoor recreation
Monday 3rd of October 2022
The wealth of natural resources in Southeast Ohio has supported industries and jobs dating back to the 1700s, including salt, timber, brick and coal mining. However, as the demand for these extractive resources declined, Southeast Ohio’s boom turned into a bust, having a significant economic impact on the most vulnerable counties in the state.
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Here’s how companies can truly improve employee happiness
Friday 30th of September 2022
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, employee wellbeing is the new imperative for employers. Several prominent companies have appointed “chief happiness officers”, and the professional network LinkedIn lists more than 4,000 of them: international companies are increasingly embracing well-being and happiness initiatives as a way to retain employees in a tight labour market. Most corporate perks take the form of yoga classes, unlimited free snacks, or company retreats to ski resorts, while marketing departments try to support healthy habits related to their brands.
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How to prepare for a new economic reality and protect the most vulnerable – experts explain
Friday 30th of September 2022
The latest World Economic Forum Chief Economists Outlook suggests a global recession is “somewhat likely” and the fallout will take its toll on inequality. Just this week, the OECD put out a similar message in its interim report, warning that recent indicators have “taken a turn for the worse”.
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Scaling solutions for humanitarian impact: The Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) approach
Friday 30th of September 2022
With over 1 billion people living in fragile settings across the world, and 274 million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year, the need to find new ways to increase resilience and drive sustainable humanitarian impact has never been greater.
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How commercial flights in Europe are edging closer to pre-pandemic levels
Friday 30th of September 2022
Flights in Europe are taking off again – though they’re not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, new data shows.
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These are the 6 books on the Booker Prize shortlist 2022
Friday 30th of September 2022
Six authors, four continents, five nationalities: the Booker Prize 2022 shortlist offers a reading journey of global proportions.
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Inflation, recession? What next for the global economy? Three experts dig into the latest Chief Economists Outlook
Friday 30th of September 2022
What’s going on in the global economy? It is a question that the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Economists seeks to answer every three months with its Chief Economists Outlook.
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Tackling disinformation – how can we combat the lies that go viral?
Friday 30th of September 2022
Disinformation is not new. Examples of disinformation and so-called fake news campaigns are plentiful. But with increasing fears about the cost of living – exacerbated by the pandemic and the energy crisis – it is now more critical than ever to tackle disinformation head-on.
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Guest post: A Met Office review of the UK’s record-breaking summer in 2022
Friday 30th of September 2022
With the summer of 2022 entering the climate record books as the first time that the UK has hit an air temperature above 40C, it has without question been amongst the UK’s hottest and driest summers overall.
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These are the photos of NASA crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid
Friday 30th of September 2022
In a world first, NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to push the rocky traveler off its trajectory. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test – or DART – is meant to test one potential approach that could prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth. David Barnhart is a professor of astronautics at the University of Southern California and director of the Space Engineering Research Center there. He watched NASA’s live stream of the successful mission and explains what is known so far.
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Hurricanes: How can we make ourselves better prepared?
Friday 30th of September 2022
A quick scan of satellite-tracked boat positions in the North Atlantic on Sept. 22 showed that deep within the tight concentric pressure circles of Hurricane Fiona, an “unnamed vessel” was battling 150 kilometre-an-hour winds and 15-metre waves inside the perimeter of the Category 4 cyclone.
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How to make electric vehicles more accessible for everyone
Friday 30th of September 2022
A nationally representative survey of 8,027 Americans shows that across all racial demographics, overall interest in purchasing electric vehicles is high. Among those surveyed, 33% of white respondents, 38% of Black respondents, 43% of Latinos and 52% of Asian Americans say they would “definitely” or “seriously consider” purchasing or leasing an EV as their next vehicle.
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4 reasons why we should all make friends from different generations
Friday 30th of September 2022
While loneliness can strike at many points throughout our lives, there are times when it is especially acute. Big transitions like leaving university, changing jobs or moving cities can make us feel isolated and socially excluded from the people around us.
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Drones could make last-mile package deliveries greener
Friday 30th of September 2022
As consumers, we’ve gotten used to the immediacy of deliveries. Order a product one day and have it at your house the next. But the logistics behind this massive movement of goods—and its environmental impact—mean that better solutions are needed to balance consumer demand and the energy consumption of “last-mile” deliveries.
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Here’s how this scientist from the 19th century is still changing your life today
Friday 30th of September 2022
Some of the greatest scientific discoveries haven’t resulted in Nobel Prizes.
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Japan has the lowest inflation of all major economies but will continue feeling the pressure. Here’s why
Friday 30th of September 2022
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has decided to stick to its monetary easing policy amid accelerating global inflation growth. Inflation in Japan is the lowest among major economies, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 2.8% in August, compared to 8.3% in the US and 9.1% in the EU. Even so, infrastructure costs, such as electricity and gas rates, have increased by more than 20%, and food prices have risen by around 10%. This has come as a big shock to the public in Japan, as the country has not experienced price hikes for decades.
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What’s new is old: how economic discontent triggered unrest in the past
Friday 30th of September 2022
The French Revolution, a traumatic event that ultimately cost millions of lives and kickstarted modern Europe, was preceded by an estimated 55% rise in the cost of bread. That’s a smaller price hike than some countries have endured recently.
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How cloud computing is helping close the health equity gap
Friday 30th of September 2022
The global need for health equity is rightly receiving increased attention as new evidence demonstrates a stark contrast in health outcomes between countries with varying levels of resources. Findings from the World Health Organization’s research on Social Determinants of Health noted a 19-year difference in life expectancy between developed countries and resource-constrained ones.
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Why investment in forest restoration is critical for Mexico’s future
Friday 30th of September 2022
Spanning Meso-American rainforests, mangrove swamps, cloud and evergreen forests, alpine habitats and vast deserts, Mexico is one of the top five most megadiverse countries on earth. It’s home to about 12% of the world’s biological diversity.
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The European Union has cut greenhouse gas emissions in every sector – except this one
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Emissions of greenhouse gases are falling in Europe – but not in the transport sector, new data shows.
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What does the future of work look like? A round-up of our latest articles
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Decent work for all and sustainable economic growth underpin the United Nations’ 8th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
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To feed the world, we need to waste less fish. Here’s how
Thursday 29th of September 2022
The world needs more food, but it must be produced sustainably. Currently only around 7% percent of the protein consumed by humans comes from “blue food”, or food from aquatic sources. Given global population growth and the potential to produce food more sustainably in the ocean than on land, this must change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, land-based food systems account for up to 37% of all man made green house gas emissions – and much of the food produced on land is wasted.
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Why we need to fix the world’s freshwater algae problem
Thursday 29th of September 2022
While we experience terrible drought and flooding events more frequently due to climate change, another significant hazard is hidden beneath the surface. To be more precise, the surface of our freshwater supplies. Accessible freshwater on earth is limited. Even though 70% of the planet is covered in water, humans can only access 0.01%, more than half of which is in lakes. Within these lakes, fragile ecosystems maintain the water quality. Once the balance in these ecosystems is disturbed, the water quality will deteriorate, making the water unusable for consumption or agriculture.
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Here’s how to tailor employee benefits to a diverse workforce
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become central to modern talent attraction and recruitment. The turbulent political climate and rising social unrest of the past few years have shed new light on the importance of workplace DEI initiatives, and job candidates are seeking organizations that align with their values. According to one survey, 76% of job seekers and employees believe that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating job offers, and nearly a third (32%) would not apply to a company that lacks diversity.
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How the German car industry became more sustainable and what to learn from it
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Numerous firms have sought to sustain their competitive advantage by establishing efficient, globe-spanning supply chains. In financial terms, those supply chains are sound, but from a sustainability standpoint, some have turned out to be non-transparent and prone to sustainability breaches, with potentially severe consequences for a firm’s reputation and performance.
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Sea level rise: everything you need to know
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Lost homes, lives and livelihoods are among the worst impacts of rising sea levels.
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What you need to know about the global economy this week
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Sentiment among German exporters has fallen to its lowest level since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the IFO economic institute.
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Mapping women’s health worldwide is key to gender equality
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Women’s health is the cornerstone of economies and societies worldwide — but leaders continually fail to prioritize it. This lack of action on women’s health enables social and economic backslides and widens the gender gap across the board, everywhere.
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Dengue fever is in France, and more tropical diseases may be heading for Europe. This is why
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Dengue, a viral infection spread by mosquitoes, is a common disease in parts of Asia and Latin America. Recently, though, France has experienced an outbreak of locally transmitted dengue.
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Beavers can help mitigate the effects of climate change. But how significant is their impact?
Thursday 29th of September 2022
The beaver is a unique ecosystem engineer that can create a landscape that would otherwise not exist, thanks to the animal’s ability to build dams. As we experience more frequent heatwaves and drought, the potential role of beavers in safeguarding against these risks has captured widespread attention.
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Could solar geoengineering be the answer to slowing global warming?
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Imagine a future where, despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly, parts of the world have become unbearably hot. Some governments might decide to “geoengineer” the planet by spraying substances into the upper atmosphere to form fine reflective aerosols – a process known as stratospheric aerosol injection.
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Hurricane Ian: Why it isn’t as straightforward for older adults to evacuate and why it’s crucial to check on older neighbours
Thursday 29th of September 2022
As mandatory evacuations for Hurricane Ian began in Florida and the warnings about damaging wind and flooding intensified, I called my aging parents to check in.
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How daytime EV charging could cut costs and help the electrcity grid
Thursday 29th of September 2022
In March, the researchers published a paper on a model they created for charging demand that can be applied to an array of populations and other factors.
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The business of protecting biodiversity – and why it’s your business
Thursday 29th of September 2022
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) more than 50% of global GDP is highly or moderately dependent on ecosystem services including the raw materials provided by nature, plus groundwater, and the role of pollination in food production. We cannot derive fundamentals for life as we know it – fresh food, water and medicine – without a rich and flourishing biodiversity.
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Energy, inflation crises risk pushing big economies into recession, OECD says
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Global economic growth is slowing more than was forecast a few months ago in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as energy and inflation crises risk snowballing into recessions in major economies, the OECD said on Monday.
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What are European countries doing to reduce the impact of rising energy prices on homes and businesses?
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Europe is scrambling to cut its reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
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From Hurricane Fiona to Ian: How disaster-hit areas can get the power back on and build resilience for next time
Thursday 29th of September 2022
Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and heat waves, are increasing in intensity, frequency and duration due to climate change. Recently, there has been a spate of devastating storms across the Caribbean and North America, with the latest reports that Hurricane Ian has left two million without power in Florida after shattering Cuba’s electrical grid.
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3 ways your business can build a community economy
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
The way we interact online is undergoing a massive shift, away from an emphasis on creator-led content and towards more community-driven connection. Web3 is the next iteration of the internet, in which users will be the ultimate builders of content and experiences, and value is decentralized in the form of tokens, distributed ledgers, cryptocurrencies and computing power.
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The world is at a point of significant economic danger, say experts
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
The outlook for the global economy has “darkened” and the world is at a point of “significant economic danger”, according to the World Economic Forum’s Chief Economists Outlook survey.
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Will a transition to a hydrogen economy affect water security?
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
The need for clean energy alternatives to reduce the impact of climate change encourages us to look at hydrogen as a potential new energy carrier. Hydrogen is now viewed by governments and energy companies as a viable alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-based energy industries. Terms such as ‘hydrogen economy’ or ‘hydrogen society’ encourage us to believe that we can completely move away from fossil fuels and rely solely on hydrogen. Growing worries over future water resources, however, show that relying solely on hydrogen may, in certain cases, overburden our water resources.
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Workers say they want even more well-being support now than during the pandemic. This is why
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Well-being was a top priority for workers and employers during the pandemic. But the drop in COVID-19 cases this year has not caused well-being to drop down the agenda – in fact, it’s become even more important for people than it was during lockdowns, a new report finds.
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How can workplaces effectively support mental health?
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
With depression and anxiety estimated to cost the global economy over $1 trillion per year in lost productivity, policymakers and employers have long debated how workplaces can most effectively support mental health. Now, for the first time, WHO is publishing evidence-based guidelines which can start to answer this question.
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How can a nutritional ‘moonshot’ transform health?
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Humanity is at its best when we shoot for the moon. The most famous moonshot was the one that got us to the moon in 1969. But the past few decades have been full of other major advances, when collaborative scientific breakthroughs transformed our understanding of our planet and ourselves.
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Are economic headwinds blowing in the direction of a global recession? Chief economists answer
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Central bankers and policy-makers looking to guard economies against the onslaught of economic headwinds are facing the daunting task of reining in inflation – which could trigger a recession – or introducing more fiscal support to help struggling citizens – which will add to already high levels of public debt.
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Why smallholder farmers are central to new food security interventions
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Throughout history, the fate of leaders and governments alike has been intertwined with the ability of a nation to feed its people. From food riots during the Roman Empire, to bread shortages sparking the Arab Spring, there are few more compelling forces for social unrest than citizens’ hunger.
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Scientists have uncovered how air pollution causes lung cancer
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Air pollution is a hidden enemy that threatens everyone.
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The benefits of 10,000 steps: The latest health and well-being news
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
The Serum Institute of India – the world’s largest vaccine maker – has developed the country’s first cervical cancer shot, which will reach the market soon, the company and India’s government announced at the start of September.
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New European Union cybersecurity proposal takes aim at cybercrime
Wednesday 28th of September 2022
Lawmakers are seeking to strengthen cybersecurity requirements across the European Union, advancing new legislation to bolster security requirements for all digital hardware and software products. The proposed law, titled the Cyber Resilience Act, would cover everything from computers and mobile phones to smart kitchen appliances and digital children’s toys.
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What we can learn about the future of digital assets regulation from recent US government reports
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
On 16 September the White House released the Comprehensive Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets, offering recommendations designed to protect consumers, advance sustainability efforts, and further national security. A response to President Biden’s March 2022 Executive Order (EO) on cryptocurrency, which called upon federal agencies to produce a total of 21 reports exploring the benefits and risks of digital assets, the framework intensifies activity across the US government on digital assets policy.
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Opinion: What is metawork and can it benefit us?
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
The metaverse isn’t just a flashy virtual-reality tool for entertainment and communication. With more people taking remote positions daily, it has many potential uses in the modern workplace and beyond.
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Abuse of workers’ rights reached record highs in 2022. Where are things getting better and worse?
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
Workers have rights.
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What’s the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) and why is it important for nature?
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
The race to protect the natural world and its biodiversity reaches a critical milestone this December as countries gather for the United Nations’ COP15 meeting.
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How firewood became the latest economic indicator
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
The president of a country supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and weaponization of energy no longer being supplied to Europe, recently had himself filmed chopping firewood. “Europeans won’t be left in the cold,” he said through a smirk. “Let’s help our brothers.”
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Do top earners work more hours? It depends which country they live in
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
Do you really need to work 100-hour weeks for success?