Blogs and Opinions
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3 ways to protect LGBTI rights across the world
Monday 17th of May 2021
May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT), aimed to celebrate sexual and gender diversities, and raise awareness against continued violence and discrimination experienced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.
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The US pipeline attack shows the energy sector must act now on cybersecurity. Here are 6 ways how
Monday 17th of May 2021
• The recent ransomware attack on a major US pipeline owner outlines the vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
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3 ways to humanize HR and create a culture of connections
Monday 17th of May 2021
While Human Resources – HR – has been on life support for years, COVID-19 has sounded its death knell. Less than 20% of us want work to return to how it was. According to Gallup, even prior to COVID-19, only 1 in 10 of us were actually engaged in our jobs. While not all occupational malaise can be laid at HR’s doorstep, one has to ask the question: what would employees miss if the HR department disappeared tomorrow? Sadly, the answer is not much.
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WHO: Working long hours is a ‘serious health hazard’
Monday 17th of May 2021
Working long hours is killing hundreds of thousands of people a year in a worsening trend that may accelerate further due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
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World’s ‘longest pedestrian suspension’ bridge opens in Portugal
Monday 17th of May 2021
A pedestrian suspension bridge that claims to be the longest in the world, named 516 Arouca and measuring 516 metres in length, has opened in northern Portugal.
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Researchers control Venus flytraps using electric signals
Monday 17th of May 2021
Researchers in Singapore have found a way of controlling a Venus flytrap using electric signals from a smartphone, an innovation they hope will have a range of uses from robotics to employing the plants as environmental sensors.
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What does digital art have to do with sustainability?
Monday 17th of May 2021
Minutes before midnight March 22, two art collectors got into a heated bidding war at a charity auction for a climate organization. The auction was happening online, but it was eliciting the same staggering dollar amounts and tense drama of an in-person auction house.
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Is the entry-level job going extinct?
Monday 17th of May 2021
The number of postings for entry-level jobs in the United States plunged nearly 68% last year, dashing the dreams of young job seekers across the country. While the drop was clearly driven by the pandemic, in many ways it was a continuation of a trend that began following the last recession, when companies looked to cut costs by reducing the number of low-level positions most suited for workers just starting their careers.
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Could America’s schools make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory?
Monday 17th of May 2021
With the first COVID-19 vaccine now authorized for adolescents, ages 12 and up, a big question looms: Will students be required to get the vaccine before returning to their classrooms in the fall?
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Researchers have sequenced the most comprehensive map of the SARS-CoV-2 genome yet
Monday 17th of May 2021
In early 2020, a few months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, scientists were able to sequence the full genome of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 infection. While many of its genes were already known at that point, the full complement of protein-coding genes was unresolved.
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This Finnish town will be carbon neutral by 2025. Here’s how.
Monday 17th of May 2021
In the south of Finland, the small city of Lahti became the winner of the 2021 European Green Capital competition in recognition of its environmental ambitions. It plans to be carbon neutral by 2025 – that’s 10 years ahead of Finland’s national goal to achieve the same status.
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5 questions to ask now to shape blended learning of the future
Monday 17th of May 2021
Raju is a sixth-grade student. He is attentive and attends all his classes regularly. He is very good at maths, average at geography and not so good at English.
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Survey: Will employees be required to get the COVID-19 vaccination?
Monday 17th of May 2021
Almost nine in every 10 companies will require or encourage their employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination or face consequences, according to a new report.
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How India’s COVID-19 crisis is affecting Africa’s vaccine supply
Monday 17th of May 2021
Africa already had the slowest COVID-19 vaccine rollout of any continent, with less than 2% of the continent vaccinated. Now, recent announcements of export control from Indian manufacturers hit by the surge in cases in India is affecting the COVAX rollout on which 41 sub-Saharan countries are relying to vaccinate 20% of their population, according to the World Bank.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 17 May
Monday 17th of May 2021
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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‘We can go further than we think’: Boston Consulting Group’s Rich Lesser on Meet the Leader
Friday 14th of May 2021
Today’s leaders tackle a host of unexpected challenges – from the climate to the pandemic. The organizations best poised to address those problems, says Rich Lesser, Boston Consulting Group’s CEO, are the ones that understand the value of collaboration.Collaboration doesn’t just help individuals and organizations swiftly share knowledge and make change happen. Solutions for the climate will require system-wide changes – and government and business to work together like never before.Leaders have an important role in making any collaboration successful, says Lesser. Teams watch for signals to understand what’s most important to an organization, especially when deciding to pursue short term wins over longer-term gains.
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Can ‘corporate wellness’ beat a mental health pandemic? This week’s Radio Davos
Friday 14th of May 2021
Even before the pandemic, anxiety and depression were estimated to cost the global economy over $1 trillion every year in lost productivity.
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Climate change is coming for the world’s poorest. Here’s how this charity is helping
Friday 14th of May 2021
Around the world, people are experiencing both the subtle and stark effects of climate change. Gradually shifting weather patterns, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events are devastating evidence of both a rapidly changing climate and an urgent need for solutions.
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4 charts that show how technology is enabling the energy transition
Friday 14th of May 2021
The shift to low-carbon energy (LCE) is a crucial part of addressing the challenges of the climate crisis. Unless emissions are reduced and greener energy is increased, the thresholds for temperature rises outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement could be breached.
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Devastating natural disasters show the need for resilient, sustainable and inclusive infrastructure
Friday 14th of May 2021
The eruption of the La Soufrière volcano after lying dormant for 40 years has plunged the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines into unimaginable levels of devastation and suffering.
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Why rent controls won’t solve the urban housing crisis
Friday 14th of May 2021
The dates of both the Paris and London 2020 elections have changed due to the unprecedented global outbreak of COVID-19, but the one constant is the polemical issue of the housing crisis. Among others, rent price control is one of the fundamental topics at the heart of candidates’ mayoral campaigns in both capital cities.
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Want to understand the extent of the world’s digital divide? Look at these 3 charts
Friday 14th of May 2021
An explosion of data
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The cells in our body have ‘a license to die’, protecting us from infectious diseases
Friday 14th of May 2021
We have all heard of COVID-19, the flu and bacterial infections. But what is actually happening to our cells when we contract these diseases? Many of our body’s cells don’t live to tell the tale. But cell death isn’t necessarily a bad thing — in fact, the death of infected cells can provide a sacrificial mechanism to stop pathogens in their tracks before they can spread through our body.
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This is what healthcare leaders see as the future for digital health
Friday 14th of May 2021
Senior healthcare leaders from 14 countries say strengthening resilience and preparing for future crises is a top priority, according to a new report commissioned by Philips Healthcare.
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Here’s how private investors can turn plastic into gold
Friday 14th of May 2021
One of the greatest impediments to our ability to transition to a circular economy for plastics in emerging markets is a dearth of private investment capital. While investment in the recycling and circular economy space is occurring, particularly in the South and Southeast Asia regions, the flows of capital are neither large enough nor sufficiently consistent to scale solutions.
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Four infographics to help you understand the state of the planet
Friday 14th of May 2021
The sheer number of people relying on the Earth’s resources to survive and thrive is putting unsustainable pressure on the planet.
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Global forces shaping the future of mining and how to navigate them
Friday 14th of May 2021
The 16th edition of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report offers a fascinating overview of stakeholder perceptions of risks, and cautions that if the most pressing environmental risks are not confronted soon, environmental degradation and societal fragmentation will intersect, with dramatic consequences.
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 14 May
Friday 14th of May 2021
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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Governments must act on cybersecurity. The new US executive order is a start.
Friday 14th of May 2021
The recent Colonial Pipeline cyber attack was a unfortunate reminder of the danger of cyber attacks to a nation’s economy.
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The COVID-19 response has shown what we are capable of when we work together
Friday 14th of May 2021
When India entered into lockdown early in 2020, lives and livelihoods were thrown into disarray. Among those hardest hit were informal waste pickers. Unable to continue working, most lost their income overnight.
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How digital payment systems can boost Bangladesh’s push to meet the SDGs
Friday 14th of May 2021
• Bangladesh’s strongly performing economy is being driven by the ready-made garments (RMG) sector.
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Electric taxis and urban fleets can speed decarbonisation – Here’s how
Thursday 13th of May 2021
High-mileage fleets, such as taxis and hire cars, have an outsized influence on emissions. They drive 4 times more miles than the average car, so the quicker they switch to electric, the better it will be for the planet. Electrifying these fleets should therefore be a priority.
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5 urgent actions in the fightback against ransomware
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
• Criminal organizations are using ransomware to exploit vulnerabilities during the pandemic.
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Want investors to care about natural resources? Put a price on them
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
Covid-19 has laid bare deep divisions in society, and its impact has not been felt equally. In a similar way, we do not expect climate change and the degradation of natural resources to have equal effects on communities. The impacts will likely include uneven local effects, increasing numbers of climate refugees, relative price shocks and other opportunity costs.
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How global trade can save lives and livelihoods – and help protect the planet
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
Global trade has a role to play in saving lives in the COVID-19 pandemic, creating jobs and sustainable development that mitigates against climate change.
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Electronics can trigger a more circular, sustainable world – here’s how
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
We want a world where there is less – or ideally, no – waste. In this more ‘circular’ world, we take, make and recreate in continuous loops, preventing waste from ever entering landfills or polluting our environment.
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How insect hotels and honey highways are helping bee populations in the Netherlands
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
A lot of what we eat depends on pollinators such as bees. Three out of four crops that produce fruits or seeds for human use as food, in fact.
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5 things climate-vulnerable countries need from the COP26 summit
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
The world is at a critical juncture in the fight to solve the climate crisis.
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Mental wellbeing is not just beneficial for you – it can also lead to lower healthcare costs
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
There are many reasons why mental wellbeing is important. Not only is it protective against physical illnesses and linked to greater productivity, but the mental wellbeing of a population is essential for a country’s sustainability, long-term growth and development.
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is spreading from people to chimpanzees
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
Nearly half of fecal samples from wild chimpanzees contain bacteria that is resistant to a major class of antibiotics people commonly use in the vicinity of Gombe National Park in Tanzania, according to new research.
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This is where U.S. clean energy jobs can make the biggest difference
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
Clean energy is a growing economic engine for rural communities across the United States.
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Are we witnessing the decline of the dollar’s global significance? Here’s what the foreign exchange reserves tell us
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
The share of US dollar reserves held by central banks fell to 59 percent—its lowest level in 25 years—during the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the IMF’s Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER) survey. Some analysts say this partly reflects the declining role of the US dollar in the global economy, in the face of competition from other currencies used by central banks for international transactions. If the shifts in central bank reserves are large enough, they can affect currency and bond markets.
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In charts: how economic sentiment has changed during COVID-19
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
In our latest McKinsey Global Survey on the economy,1 executives’ views are as decidedly positive as they were in March—even as the pandemic continues to dwarf other risks to growth. It’s an especially acute risk in India, where the week after the survey was in the field, the number of daily COVID-19 cases set a new world record.2
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Children make adults more compassionate – here’s how that could benefit society
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
Most of us assume that we tend to be kinder towards children than we are to adults. Past research confirms this assumption, showing that we’re more caring towards children, and that this effect even extends to being more helpful and empathic towards baby-faced adults.
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5 things to know about the future of electric vehicles
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
While global car sales took a pandemic-related hit last year, electric vehicles (EVs) bucked the trend.
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What NBC not airing the Golden Globes means for media and diversity
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
NBCUniversal will not air the 2022 Golden Globes, the network announced Tuesday, ending a decades-long practice of covering the film and television awards show run by the nonprofit Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
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COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 12 May
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
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What’s the ‘bullwhip effect’ and how can we avoid crises like the global chip shortage?
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
It started with diapers.
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This UK campaign is working to close the politics gender gap
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
On the green benches inside London’s historic River Thames-side landmark, the Houses of Parliament, sit twice as many men as women.
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This is how climate change is impacting the ocean – and what we can do about it
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
The ocean is inextricably linked to our climate. Rising air temperatures due to global warming are melting the polar ice caps and dissolving glaciers, leading to rising sea levels.
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Thinking like Leonardo da Vinci will help children tackle climate change
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Teaching children to think like the Renaissance artist, inventor and scientist Leonardo da Vinci would better prepare them for tackling crises such as climate change, according to researchers.
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This startup is 3D-printing wood made from upcycled sawdust
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Even though 3D-printing naturally produces less waste than other manufacturing processes, it’s unfortunately the norm for 3D-printed creations to be made of plastic-derived materials. So to combat that, a startup called Forust is 3D printing wood products — and its raw material is upcycled sawdust and other byproducts from the wood industry that would otherwise be considered waste.
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Child mortality is still high in Africa – here’s what can be done
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Improvements in child survival globally have been remarkable. Deaths of children under five declined by 59% from 93 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 38 in 2019.
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Why a green COVID-19 recovery is key for the future of our cities
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Around the world, cities have paid a high price for the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of municipalities are facing increased pressures to provide essential services while simultaneously coping with dramatic revenue declines. The situation is particularly severe in emerging markets where resources are sparse.
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Lessons from Haiti: applying innovative, affordable, and replicable solutions using drones and spatial data
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
In 2016, Category 4 Hurricane Matthew made landfall in the south of Haiti, causing destruction unseen in more than a decade during the hurricane season, with winds as high as 230 kilometers per hour and 600 millimeters of rain in less than 24 hours. The toll was very high, with a total of 546 victims, 128 missing, 439 injured, and 2.1 million people affected.
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‘Exceptional new normal’: IEA raises growth forecast for wind and solar by another 25%
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has raised its forecast for the global growth of wind and solar by another 25% compared to figures it published just six months ago.
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One key to getting women back to work post-pandemic: Childcare
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Wendy Niculescu is ready to get back to work after nearly a year and a half of being a stay-at-home mom.
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Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future: mass transport in floating magnetic pods
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionize travel.
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COVID has disrupted Africa’s cotton production. Here’s how soap could provide a solution
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Cotton is a commercial crop grown mainly for its fibre or lint, a raw material used by the textile industry. In most least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa, raw lint is widely produced for export, creating vital revenue. But, this revenue is highly susceptible to outside shocks affecting international prices.
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Why an evidence-driven approach is the best way for businesses to support workplace mental health
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
Mental health has never been higher on the agenda for businesses. It is easy to see why, as even prior to COVID-19, anxiety and depression were estimated to cost the global economy over $1 trillion every year in lost productivity. The exodus from offices in 2020 has presented further challenges and raised big questions about future ways of working.