Blogs and Opinions
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Gasoline prices dropped in August – but inflation continues to rise
Friday 16th of September 2022
Despite a 10.6 percent drop in gasoline prices, inflation showed little signs of cooling in August, as prices rose 0.1 percent compared to July and 8.3 percent compared to August 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, increases in prices for shelter, food and medical care offset the drop in gas prices, resulting in the higher-than-expected inflation reading. Food prices increased 0.8 percent from July and 11.4 percent from a year ago, while the subindexes for shelter and medical care services were up 0.7 and 0.8 percent from the previous month, respectively.
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Here’s how cities can become more resilient to flooding
Wednesday 31st of August 2022
Powerful storms across the South, following flash floods in Dallas, Death Valley, St. Louis, Yellowstone and Appalachia, have left cities across the U.S. questioning their own security in a warming climate.
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Discover how sweltering urban heat islands are being cooled down
Friday 19th of August 2022
Record-breaking prolonged heatwaves across North America and Europe captured the headlines this summer and brought attention to a new reality we may have to reckon with – one where many cities may soon become uninhabitable.
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Can parametric insurance mitigate Africa’s climate risk?
Thursday 4th of August 2022
Parametric insurance is not a new concept. Such products and solutions have been in existence for more than 20 years. On the African continent, however, parametric insurance is relatively new but becoming ever more crucial to climate resilience.
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What’s the economic outlook for Latin America?
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean have continued their strong post-pandemic rebound, but the winds are shifting as global financial conditions are tightening and commodity prices are reversing their upward trend, while inflationary pressures persist.
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No time to lose: Knowledge sharing is key in the race against climate change and disasters
Friday 29th of July 2022
The COVID-19 global pandemic has challenged the world in so many ways. While the race for vaccine development and deployment absorbed much of our attention, extended lockdowns transformed our way of working, living, and interacting with others. As we learned how to live with the new contactless dynamics, various industries were finding new mechanisms to cope with the virtual way of operations and to find innovative solutions for business continuity. The disruptions to our daily routines have not only decreased face-to-face interactions, but also impacted the traditional approaches to delivering capacity building, knowledge exchange, and peer-to-peer learning.
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How can organizations accelerate their resilience journey?
Tuesday 19th of July 2022
Over the past two decades, New York City has experienced four different “black swan” or “one in 100 year” events in rapid succession – the terrorist attacks of September 11, the global financial crisis of 2008, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
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This visual breaks down the economic crisis in Sri Lanka
Monday 18th of July 2022
Sri Lanka is currently in an economic and political crisis of mass proportions, recently culminating in a default on its debt payments. The country is also nearly at empty on their foreign currency reserves, decreasing the ability to purchase imports and driving up domestic prices for goods.
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What is stagflation and why are central banks concerned about it?
Thursday 7th of July 2022
“Stagflation” is an ugly word for an ugly situation – the unpleasant combination of economic stagnation and inflation.
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Interest rate hikes vs inflation: How are different countries doing it?
Monday 4th of July 2022
Imagine today’s high inflation like a car speeding down a hill. In order to slow it down, you need to hit the brakes. In this case, the “brakes” are interest rate hikes intended to slow spending. However, some central banks are hitting the brakes faster than others.
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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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The war in Ukraine is triggering a re-evaluation of global systemic risk
Thursday 30th of June 2022
The world is confronting multiple intersecting geopolitical events with highly unpredictable consequences. Coming in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war is disrupting global financial markets, food security and real economies. Escalating tensions between the US and China are compelling decision-makers to recalculate everything from their strategic alliances to the vulnerability of their supply chains. Making matters even more complicated, looming threats ranging from cyberattacks to climate change and the mounting possibility of nuclear war, including the erosion of norms and rules around acquiring nuclear weapons, are forcing governments, businesses and international organizations to re-evaluate risk in fundamentally new ways.
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4 experts on how leaders can best respond to a changing global landscape
Thursday 16th of June 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic shook our communities, devasted our economies and even altered the ways that we work and relate to one another. We have also observed shifts in our geopolitical realities and seen growing urgency in response to climate change. Now, more than ever, leaders need the skills and tools to navigate uncertain circumstances and pivot their strategies.
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As the economy continues to deteriorate, what can struggling businesses do to survive?
Tuesday 14th of June 2022
Rather than rebounding in 2022, economic conditions in the UK have deteriorated. Forecasts for growth in 2022 and the year after have been cut dramatically.
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What are the risks — and rewards — of new work models?
Tuesday 24th of May 2022
Three converging workplace trends — automation, open talent pools, and increased flexibility — are creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how work gets done. New work models present the appealing possibilities of an energising employee experience, increased output and reduced cost. Yet this combination of results could remain just a possibility if companies don’t recognise that, alongside the understandable appeal, comes less obvious risk that must be managed.
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Digital resilience: Building the economies of tomorrow on a foundation of cybersecurity
Friday 20th of May 2022
The dramatic digital transformation underway worldwide, driven by the disruptions from COVID-19, is fueling a surge of technology innovation and sparking economic growth opportunities across global markets. Quarantine lockdowns, supply chain issues, and the transition to a remote workforce that occurred amidst the pandemic combined to radically alter the business-consumer experience and reshape economies.
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7 leaders at Davos 2022 on securing sustainable, resilient supply chains, despite global shocks
Thursday 19th of May 2022
At the start of the year, we asked business leaders to share insights on how supply chains were changing and key trends to watch in the coming months. Shortly after, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered new disruptions in supply chains and trade networks, on items ranging from food to semi-conductors, with significant implications.
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Explainer: What is a yield curve and why does it matter right now?
Wednesday 18th of May 2022
A key bond market signal – the yield curve – is displaying warning signs, which is usually an indicator of a looming recession. So how worried should we be?
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Three imperatives for businesses to mitigate risks and thrive in an uncertain world
Wednesday 20th of April 2022
Adapting in an uncertain and varying environment is fundamental to business success.
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Why we must build climate resilience with women in Africa
Wednesday 6th of April 2022
Floods, storms, droughts and mudslides are indiscriminate in their destruction, but their effects are not. In Africa, where women and girls have low socio-economic status, they are disproportionately affected by natural disasters: mortality rates are higher, recovery rates are slower. Rural women also play a significant role in subsistence agriculture and so are devastated by changes in climate and climate-related extreme events.
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The US is getting closer to making companies disclose their emissions data. What’s the next step?
Tuesday 29th of March 2022
The U.S. securities regulator on Monday proposed requiring U.S.-listed companies to disclose a range of climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions, part of President Joe Biden’s push to join global efforts to avert climate-related catastrophes.
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6 tips for building a successful risk-taking culture
Tuesday 29th of March 2022
In his new book, Okta co-founder Frederic Kerrest shares tips on how startups can build a culture where everyone feels comfortable taking risks.
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How to build climate resilience into the construction industry
Thursday 24th of March 2022
The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) laid out a bleak future: adapting to climate change is going to become progressively harder if we fail to invest in protecting ourselves now.
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3 ways your company can improve resilience and counter fatigue
Wednesday 16th of March 2022
If resilience is defined as the capacity to spring back after adversity, I admit that all the springing has me feeling fatigued — and I know I’m not alone.
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Climate change and science denial hit Hollywood like a comet in ‘Don’t Look Up’. Creator Adam Mckay on Radio Davos
Friday 4th of March 2022
Don’t Look Up, is a blockbuster Hollywood disaster movie, but it’s also a comedy – an allegory about climate change and a biting satire on politics and the media. Its Oscar winning writer-director Adam McKay told the Radio Davos podcast why he felt compelled to make the film.