Blogs and Opinions
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Space: How advances up there can help life down here
Friday 1st of July 2022
What are humans doing in space and why are we talking about bases on the Moon or missions to Mars when there is so much here on Earth that requires our immediate attention?
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How to protect your company from cyber attack – the Global Cybersecurity Outlook at Davos 2022
Friday 1st of July 2022
The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook report indicates that cyberattacks increased 125% globally in 2021, with evidence suggesting a continued uptick through 2022. In this fast-changing landscape it is vital for leaders to take a strategic approach to cyber risks.
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What is NATO and what happened at the NATO summit?
Friday 1st of July 2022
In the end, it took a well-timed coffee break to smooth the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
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New EU climate change deals: Banning fossil fuel cars by 2035, and what else?
Friday 1st of July 2022
EU countries have clinched deals on proposed laws to combat climate change, backing a 2035 phase-out of new fossil fuel car sales and a multibillion-euro fund to shield poorer citizens from CO2 costs.
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G7 commits $5 billion to tackling global food insecurity
Friday 1st of July 2022
The Group of Seven rich democracies will commit up to $5 billion to improve global food security, a senior U.S. official said, as the group responds to worries in developing nations about the threat of hunger triggered by war in Ukraine.
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Human activity is disrupting the freshwater cycle, here’s how to change that
Friday 1st of July 2022
Green water – the rainwater available to plants in the soil – is indispensable for life on and below the land. But in a new study, we found that widespread pressure on this resource has crossed a critical limit.
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Here’s how passive cooling can help us to survive extreme indoor heat
Friday 1st of July 2022
Passive cooling strategies can reduce the load on air conditioning by as much as 80%, report researchers.
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Why some nations are wealthier than others – and what it means for future prosperity
Friday 1st of July 2022
Why are some nations rich and others poor? Can the governments of poor nations do something to ensure that their nations become rich? These sorts of questions have long fascinated public officials and economists, at least since Adam Smith, the prominent Scottish economist whose famous 1776 book was titled “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.”
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The 7 ways to successfully communicate sustainability
Friday 1st of July 2022
In order to communicate sustainability, you must do sustainability first. It sounds obvious but in these greenwashing times, it needs to be said. Wondering how to talk about environmental or social sustainability should only come after you have done something about it – and it’s okay if that something is in progress. Anybody who has been trying to make or do things right knows that to “do” sustainability is a process and a long one at that.
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How autonomous mobile clinics can transform healthcare in least developed countries
Friday 1st of July 2022
The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 3, or SDG 3, declared a universal health goal to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” by 2030. The way to its realization is through “universal health coverage (UHC) and access to quality health care, (and ensure) no one must be left behind”.
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4 award-winning young inventors who are changing the world
Friday 1st of July 2022
Inventors and their inventions have constantly changed the way we live. An inventor in China gave us the compass for navigation, another in Germany invented the printing press and several creative minds were involved in coming up with the electric light bulb. The course of history is shaped by such inventions and the future will continue to be shaped by them, too.
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Going green could save Europe €1 trillion in fossil fuel costs
Friday 1st of July 2022
By upgrading its power system and quadrupling growth in wind and solar capacity, Europe could save an estimated €1 trillion by 2035.
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How to make clean, affordable energy available to everyone
Friday 1st of July 2022
Hot on the heels of COVID-19, the world faces more turmoil. This year, Davos 2022 aptly focused on the tragic war in Ukraine and its ripple effect on global finance, food, and energy systems. The current state of the world reminds us to what degree energy underpins our aspirations for a more sustainable future for all – and how broken the global energy system is.
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Online learning: What next for higher education after COVID-19?
Thursday 30th of June 2022
Prior to the pandemic, very few students had the chance to study online. As a digital dreamer for Education 4.0, my dream for the future of higher education had long involved a shift from the university being a physical location to a digital one – meaning you can study whenever and wherever you were.
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Is climate inaction a human rights violation?
Thursday 30th of June 2022
The UN Human Rights Office clearly states that climate change threatens the enjoyment of life, food, and health.
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Green transport and cleaner mobility are key to meeting climate goals
Thursday 30th of June 2022
No scenario for containing global warming is possible without urgent and distinct action in the transport sector. This is a sector that is often overlooked in the climate equation, but it shouldn’t be. Currently responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and rapidly increasing, transport is something that impacts everyone, everywhere.
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Here are 5 things to look forward to in the future – according to 1,000 experts
Thursday 30th of June 2022
What might the world look like in 2025? In autumn 2020 the World Economic Forum convened expert-led Global Future Councils, time-bound think tanks, to explore that very question.
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Sand mining: the environmental challenge you’ve probably never heard of
Thursday 30th of June 2022
Cities are, quite literally, built on sand. As global urbanization continues apace, the demand for concrete, glass and construction materials that use sand increases.
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What next for travel and tourism? Here’s what the experts say
Thursday 30th of June 2022
The Travel & Tourism sector was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving not only companies but also tourism-driven economies severely affected by shutdowns, travel restrictions and the disappearance of international travel.
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International travel levels tipped to soar again in 2022
Thursday 30th of June 2022
While few industries have been spared by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years, even fewer have been hit as hard as the tourism sector. After “the worst year in tourism history”, international tourist arrivals increased by just 5 percent in 2021, as travel restrictions remained in place for protracted periods in many parts of the world. International tourist arrivals once again fell more than one billion short of pre-pandemic levels, keeping the industry at levels last seen in the late 1980s.
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Energy: Which electricity source uses the most land?
Thursday 30th of June 2022
No energy source comes without any environmental impact. Whether it’s coal, gas, nuclear or renewables, every energy source takes up land; uses water; and needs some natural resources for fuel or manufacturing.
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This is how the US can make EV charging sites more accessible
Thursday 30th of June 2022
The electric vehicle charger had shown up at the park only a month earlier, but already Lonte was envisioning himself using it.
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What can be done about this harmful molecule found in hard plastics?
Thursday 30th of June 2022
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a chemical widely used to make hard, clear plastics. It is an endocrine disruptor that has been linked to many negative health effects, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In 2013, the U.S. government banned its use in baby products that come into contact with food, like bottles or the packaging of infant formula.
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The pandemic could have a lasting impact on city centres. Here’s how
Thursday 30th of June 2022
If companies allowed more of their employees to permanently work from home, businesses would gravitate toward city centers, while people would primarily live in the periphery, resulting in less traffic congestion and falling real estate prices downtown.
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More African central banks are exploring digital currencies. Here’s why
Thursday 30th of June 2022
Several sub-Saharan African central banks are exploring or in the pilot phase of a digital currency, following Nigeria’s October introduction of e-Naira. Nigeria was the second country after the Bahamas to roll out a CBDC.