Group items tagged

This report focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the underdeveloped world, and outlines 'six essential solutions to build a safer world.' 'The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a world that is unequal, divided, and unaccountable. The health emergency ecosystem reflects this broken world. It is not fit for purpose and needs major reform. Hundreds of expert recommendations have been made over the last two decades, new structures have been created, but the level of ambition and action has failed to match the global need. We know what to do. We just cannot seem to do it'

A new set of case studies and best practice examples to help cities reduce emissions has been launched by the World Economic Forum and Accenture.

"The dirt beneath our feet is getting poorer and on many farms worldwide, there is less and less of it." "This article is part of a new multimedia series Follow the Food by BBC Future and BBC World News. Follow the Food investigates how agriculture is responding to the profound challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and a rapidly growing global population. Our food supply chains are increasingly globalised, with crops grown on one continent to be consumed on another. The challenges to farming also span the world."

"Data sharing can also drive better business decisions. Knowing the weather patterns at other farms around the world can prepare growers for shifts in the market, from potential yields to pricing trends. ... "So, bringing that data story together helps individual farmers grow and makes sure they have a sustainable business model."

The article talks about religon in the next 30 years. Most all major religons will grow. There will also be growth in the number of people who don't idenitfy with any religon. Islam seems to be the religon with fastest growth, while Christianity will see the highest concenrtration outside of the US where we see most christians today.

"Beijing is isolating itself on the world stage after taking an aggressive turn on the diplomatic front in recent years, according to the report, which was released earlier this week. That behavior has sparked rising blowback, even from countries traditionally on friendly terms with the regime. "China is its own biggest enemy when it comes to influence," the report"

Describes how 1.7 billion people are still very limited financially--no bank acounts or ability to obtain credit. This limitation stifles growth in various parts of the world. Technology can change this by sharing informatoin digitally between consumers and institutions.

Two-thirds of people around the world want to work flexibly when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a new survey shows. And almost a third are prepared to quit their job if the boss makes them go back to the office full time. The survey of workers in 29 nations also shows people have coped better with homeworking than some feared. The power has shifted to choice. We no longer just go work where someone tells us to go work.

CIPPEC is an Argentina-based independent nonprofit organization that works on better building public policies. The report presents four domestic politics scenarios: Many hands for little cake - Disperse power in exclusive societies. Cohesive and powerful - Integrated societies that have a voice in politics. Members only - An exclusive world with concentrated power. One for all - Concentration of power in inclusive societies and four Global Governance scenarios: Big foot in a local world Big Friendly Giant - big firms in a global scenario Small is beautiful The small under global rule

The article discusses emissions at ports around the world and focuses on a measurement of a port's affects on the environment through a measurement called Port Environmental Index (PEI). The PEI consists of standards that will allow the tracking of emissions and effects on the environment for the port over time. The internet of things (IOT) will allow real time monitoring. (alterenate link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X20308888)

Interesting thesis about climate change and ports. The paper discusses the importance of ports to world trade and national security (specificallyf or the US). The US military has recently become more of an expeditionary force rather than occupational, subsequently ports are becoming more important. However, impending climate change threatens the port operations and infrastructure that need to be understood.

Short article that says that ports will need to grow in coming years (next 3 decades) to accomodate growing world trade. A fourfold increase would be considerably more volume than we presently see. The article says that the cost of expanding port capacity will exceed required rising sea level adaptation.

Article talks about the rising sea levels if climate change goes unchecked. It touches on everything from eliminating certain species to ruining many coastal cities around the world. Mentions that there is still time to recover from the current path with the right measures.

Summary of a larger report, which is hyperinked in the article. Six summary paragraphs present these scenarios. In April 2020, an ambitious initiative called Positive AI Economic Futures was launched by Stuart Russell and Charles-Edouard Bouée, both members of the World Economic Forum's Global AI Council (GAIC). In a series of workshops and interviews, over 150 experts from a wide variety of backgrounds gathered virtually to discuss these challenges, as well as possible positive Artificial Intelligence visions and their implications for policymakers. The workshop attendees and interview participants, from science-fiction writers to economists and AI experts, attempted to articulate positive visions of a future where Artificial Intelligence can do most of what we currently call work.

A very interesting but lengthy read. The report describes a system for using foresight to develop EU R&I policy, which includes: - a set of future scenarios for different World Regions, - a mechanism for signposting relevant trends and - a process for assessing policy options combining standard policy assessment mechanisms with future scenarios. The regional scenarios include: ● China ● Japan, South Korea & Taiwan ● ASEAN ● India & its Neighbours ● Australia & New Zealand ● Russia & Central Asia ● The Middle East & North Africa ● Sub-Saharan Africa ● Central & South America ● United States, Canada & Mexico

DRIVER-SCARCITY The Industrial Revolutions improved living standards for people in most nations where technology proliferated.[1] Populations in modern societies are not overly concerned with accessing food or water on a daily basis. In particular, the availability of clean, freshwater is a reasonable expectation throughout the modern world. However, a growing lack of water ("water scarcity"), propelled by continued technological advancement and high demand, is creating a global crisis. This resource scarcity will change long-held expectations and demonstrate the capacity to disrupt the security and stability of entire regions. This Article examines the global state of freshwater scarcity[2] and the often-neglected linkages of water scarcity to economic, social, political, legal, and security consequences arising from disruptions, failures, or attacks on water access and distribution systems.[3] Our research concentrates on examples of the impacts of water scarcity from past and present utilizing selected examples from North America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. We contend that poorly understood links between access to adequate water and national stability pose severe global security risks, especially if technological and policy correctives are not implemented to increase water resiliency and ensure availability and access.

"Work together to harmonize standards and practices around the world and to communicate and share corrosion mitigation technologies. Now is the time to make a major impact to protect the environment, preserve resources, and protect our fellow human beings."

"This book tells a tale of innovation, disruption, and transformation. Mobile money, e-money, e-float, e-wallets, mobile banking, however you characterise it, is not just a cool app. It s a killer app, the first for mobile phones in the developing world. It s also a disruptive innovation that threatens incumbent businesses and is sparking new business formation and entrepreneurship. Nowhere is this mobile money phenomenon more prevalent and successful than in Kenya. In five years, 19 million Kenyans, more than 70% of the adult population, have signed up for mobile money services. Fifteen million are customers of M-PESA ( M for Mobile and pesa means money in Swahili). Now, one out of every two people in the world who sends money over a mobile phone is a Kenyan. Mobile money is the rare case in which an African country is the global market leader and an exporter of innovation." The author says, "It has been so successful in these markets because it leapfrogged the payment card industry," he said, "which requires expensive ATM and Point of Sale (POS) networks to function. ATMs and POS Terminals require regular maintenance and, with ATMs, regular liquidity balancing. By leveraging third party retail outlets and making the phone the primary means of exchange, mobile money bypassed the need to distribute ATMs and POS Terminals. The reverse is true in the US: mobile money isn't leapfrogging the payment card industry, it's augmenting it."