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The Economist Intelligence Unit envisages at least some pick-up in momentum in major economies later in 2013, which will set the stage for a better 2014.

Materials stewardship is about companies contributing to sustainability by making the best use of intelligent design and application of technology to increase recoveries, by extending the resource base through reduced losses, by reducing the use of materials per unit of production, by diverting "waste" materials to productive uses and by restoring resources such as land and water to productive use. 

Global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations will grow by a 22 percent in 2014, largely as a result of recent policy changes in the two largest markets, China and Japan, according to data released by market intelligence analyst IHS Inc.

“This order supports the development of 765 kV power infrastructure in India, enhancing transmission capacity and efficiency to help meet the growing demand for power,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “These substations will also strengthen grid reliability and improve power stability in the region.”ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the 765 kV and 400 kV air-insulated switchgear (AIS) substations. The switchyards will also be equipped with IEC 61850 compliant automation, control and protection solutions, which enable the development and integration of intelligent power networks. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.Substations are key installations in the power grid that transform voltage levels and facilitate the safe and efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls the flow of electrical power, enhancing grid reliability.

But if nature was forced to use the pipes-and-ion-channels approach, that leaves us with plenty of scope for speeding things up using silicon and copper (and this is quite apart from all the other more exotic computing substrates that are now on the horizon).  If we were simply to make a transition membrane depolarization waves to silicon and copper, and if this produced a 1,000x speedup (a conservative estimate, given the intrinsic difference between the two forms of signalling), this would be an explosion worthy of the name.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has been fine-tuning its base-year estimates for global copper consumption in 2013 in line with the latest data published by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS).

Can thinking machines be ethical machines? UL experts David Wroth and Christian Anschuetz discuss the subtle biases shaping the very systems we're dependent upon to transform our future.