Blogs and Opinions
-
These engineers have created plants that can emit light – and be recharged
Sunday 26th of September 2021
Using specialized nanoparticles embedded in plant leaves, MIT engineers have created a light-emitting plant that can be charged by an LED. After 10 seconds of charging, plants glow brightly for several minutes, and they can be recharged repeatedly.
-
Increasing production of aquatic foods is a win-win for people and planet
Sunday 26th of September 2021
Nutrition researchers have long touted the health benefits of fish such as salmon, cod, and herring. But the world’s waterways, from the depths of the oceans to the cutbanks of rivers to tropical reefs, offer up an incredibly diverse bounty of food sources that people around the world depend on.
-
Why US firms need to look for the ‘hidden’ workforce
Saturday 25th of September 2021
Since business has picked up with the COVID vaccine rollout, record numbers of employers have struggled to find workers. In August, half of U.S. small business owners had jobs they wanted to fill, a historic high, according to a trade group survey; 91 percent said there were few or no qualified applicants. The reasons for this labor-employment mismatch are complex and not fully understood, economists say.
-
Why mRNA won’t replace other vaccine types just yet
Saturday 25th of September 2021
The rapid development of effective mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 has led some observers to suggest that mRNA will push other types of vaccines out of the market completely in the near future.
-
What happened at the Sustainable Development Impact Summit? Radio Davos has this podcast round-up
Friday 24th of September 2021
“The adolescence of humanity is coming to an end, and must come to an end. We are approaching that critical turning point in less than two months, in just over 40 days, when we must show that we are capable of learning and maturing and finally taking responsibility for the destruction we are inflicting not just upon our planet, but upon ourselves.
-
Air quality, aviation fuel and Australia’s koalas: Everything you need to know about the environment this week
Friday 24th of September 2021
The World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit took place this week. You can check out the highlights here.
-
Ecocide: How to protect nature and the people who are dying to save it
Friday 24th of September 2021
We need to turn the tables on our current system for protecting the environment, according to Hindou Ouarou Ibrahim, an indigenous environmental activist from Chad.
-
COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 24 September
Friday 24th of September 2021
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 230.6 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.72 million. More than 6.03 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.
-
What would it take to make AI ‘greener’?
Friday 24th of September 2021
With record heat waves globally and extreme flooding impacting Europe and China, now is a pivotal moment to interrogate the interplay of technology and the environment, including the role of artificial intelligence (AI).
-
These scientists are making antibacterial bandages out of fruit waste
Friday 24th of September 2021
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore are tackling food waste by turning discarded durian husks into antibacterial gel bandages.
-
5 tree species that are at risk of extinction
Friday 24th of September 2021
One in three of the world’s tree species are at risk of becoming extinct, according to a recent report by the Global Tree Assessment – the first attempt to estimate the conservation status of all of Earth’s trees.
-
Work can be better post-COVID-19. Here’s what employers need to know
Friday 24th of September 2021
When business crises occur (pandemic-related or otherwise), the companies that emerge stronger are those able to flex their business and people to overcome the new challenges they face. The unpredictability and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to adapt to a new way of working, in some cases practically overnight. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to reimagine work and how it is done.
-
These 15 innovations are helping to restore and protect the Amazon
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Home to more than 34 million people and 10% of the world’s known biodiversity, the Amazon is a mega-diverse ecosystem that accounts for 20% of the world’s remaining forest areas. Continued deforestation and ecosystem degradation pose major economic, cultural and environmental threats to the region and the planet. We urgently need to scale sustainable “bioeconomy” models that preserve and restore the Amazon Rainforest while making sustainable use of its standing-forest resources and providing livelihoods for its people.
-
The pandemic has hurt women’s health. This is why that’s bad for everyone
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated lives around the world, 4.6 million deaths and counting. The pandemic has exposed sharp economic and social inequalities and has widened the already existing gap with the most vulnerable in society, including unequal impacts affecting women and girls by virtue of their gender.
-
What are business leaders doing to sustain our future?
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
In a survey conducted earlier this year, we asked people in 28 countries whether they thought governments, businesses and individuals were doing enough to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development goals by 2030.
-
From funders to partners: elevating community expertise to help communities thrive
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Corporations, foundations and NGOs worldwide are prioritizing equity and social impact – and in many cases, rewriting the rules by emphasizing partnerships as a lever for change.
-
Investing in trees: global companies are restoring forests
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Conserving and restoring degraded forest landscapes are essential to combating global climate change and preventing biodiversity loss. Learn how companies are doing their part.
-
This app is fighting food insecurity in the US
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
More than one-in-10 households in the US found themselves without enough food on at least one occasion during 2019, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
-
There is a way to invest profitably – and help save the world
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
How do you solve a problem like global hunger now made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic? Or gender and other inequality highlighted by the “Me Too” and “Black Lives Matter” movements? Or climate change and its impact on everyday lives through extreme weather?
-
A new garden in Rome celebrates sustainability – and you can visit it without even leaving your house
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Italy is inviting the world to visit an urban garden in the heart of its capital.
-
Africa’s crypto market has grown by $105.6 billion in the last year
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Tokenization of financial flows is vastly cheaper than building nations. On the back of it, the process itself can spur the growth of real assets. This is where some countries in Africa are finding themselves.
-
Why ‘telehealth’ for mental health patients seems to be working
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
What once seemed futuristic—receiving health care through a screen—has not only become common place, but preferable for certain medical visits, including mental health.
-
How a new app helps fishing boats avoid netting endangered species
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
The discarding of fish at sea – known as “bycatch” – happens when fish have no commercial value or annual quotas for a commercial species are limited. It is widely regarded as a wasteful and unsustainable practice. A shocking 267,000 tonnes of fish were dumped in the North Sea in 2010. To reduce this waste, in 2013 EU member states agreed to the introduction of the landing obligation in EU waters. In January 2019, this was fully enforced, effectively serving as a ban on discarding commercial species.
-
Students who ‘productively fail’ may learn more, finds study
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Researchers have shown the positive effects of productive failure on learning outcomes.
-
COVID-19 will likely shift from pandemic to endemic — but what does that mean?
Thursday 23rd of September 2021
Most people are wondering when and how the COVID pandemic will end and there are still no easy answers.