World Futures Fall 2021

"It is estimated that worldwide plant disease caused 13%, insect 14% and weed 13% loss in food production and accounted for 2000 billion dollars economic loss per year" The initial response to this challenge has been the use of chemical pesticides, but those have historically caused environmental and health issues. This article does a nice job of summarizing the current state of nanopesticides, which hold the promise of being equally effective as the chemicals in use now while doing much less collateral damage. The article concludes with a punch list of the challenges that need to be overcome to make these nanopesticides easy to deploy and raise the confidence that they are safe.

This is a chapter excerpt from a very popular book on Nano Biopesticides. "Today's global population has reached 7 billion, and is projected to reach 9.2 billion by 2050, an increase of 30% (70 million per annum). This explosive increase of the global population is expected to increase the demand for food production by 70%, notably due to changes in dietary habits in developing countries toward high-quality food." There is public demand for an alternative to chemical pesticides as well as the financial incentives "biological pesticides require 3-6 years and an investment of around $15-20 million for development and registration compared to synthetic pesticides, which require 10 years and $200 million for their development." The article is longer than many but a broad spectrum introduction to the technology.

"Arcadia program will work with nature to develop "probiotics" for military materials and equipment to prevent corrosion, decrease drag.(...) Bacteria are the most abundant and diverse lifeform on Earth, coating almost every surface, with the majority spending their lives in biofilms.his lifestyle is universally perceived as problematic since biofilms contribute significantly to equipment degradation. However, biofilms do not have to be a problem. New insights suggest biofilms could be rendered beneficial by redirecting their composition and structure. Similar to the Arcadian vision of harmony with nature, the DARPA Arcadia program will develop "probiotics" to protect military materials and equipment using naturally occurring microorganisms to generate robust and beneficial coatings."

Britain, taking a cautious view of cryptoassets and wanting to ensure they are backed by sufficient capital, may establish rules prior to the Basel Committee's finalization of guidance

This looks like a press release to generate buzz inasmuch as there are not talks in place; however, worth watching. Nexi (NEXII.MI) is interested in working on a digital version of the euro, but there are no formal talks with the European Central Bank (ECB), the Italian payment group's corporate and external affairs director Saverio Tridico said on Friday.

Global Sales Brands (Mercedes, IKEA, Walmart, Amazon)-companies with extensive data about their consumers will use fintech to offer financial services to customers, profiting from good risk and pushing bad risk to banks and insurance companies. So far this year, investors have poured $4.25 billion into embedded finance startups, almost three times the amount in 2020

Impacts and Implications are huge...great find!

Gates Foundation report on the impact of Mobile Money on Poverty. Good stats and evolution.

2020 Mobile Money Milestones: >300 Mobile Money providers; 1.2 billion accounts; Africa: 55.2% of all providers; 43% of new accounts (2020) in sub-Saharan Africa

Not everybody is happy about Musk rolling into south Texas. There are issues with the environment as well - the area he picked is ripe birds and other critters that need protecting from big business.

The battle lines are drawn!

Rainforest Alliance is working worldwide with famers not just to reduce impact (sustainability), but to achieve regeneration in areas of biodiversity; waterways; climate-smart agriculture; integrated soil, weed, and pest management; and improved productivity and livelihoods.

Outlines progress of the 2011-2020 plan--mostly indicating UN and Aichi Biodiversity Targets have not been met.

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.

Australia has lost about 30% of its koalas over the past three years, hit by drought, bushfires and developers cutting down trees

I did not like because I am anti-koala!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a rule that will slash the use of a potent climate-warming gas commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners by 85% over the next 15 years, a move that will help halve greenhouse gas emissions this decade. he EPA and White House also announced on Thursday that the administration will take an interagency approach to prevent the illegal trade, production, use, and sale of HFCs and prepare for enforcement actions to punish violations of the law.

Splashy headlines have long overshadowed inconvenient truths about biology and economics. Now, extensive new research suggests the industry may be on a billion-dollar crash course with reality.

First, the dairy industry as we know it - where cows produce milk - 'will be gone', he says. This is because alternative plant milks, such as almond and soy, will take over. Or, they will be made using precision fermentation, a technology using microbial hosts as cell factories, in order to create an identical protein. One of the leaders in the dairy fermentation industry is Change Foods, a brand aiming to create 'mind-blowing animal-free foods' that are better for the planet. Secondly, Mellon predicts the meat industry will collapse. Half of it will consist of plant-based foods, or foods made using cellular agriculture, he claims. 'We already have the products. All we need is the scale, the money, and the will', he says. The views were shared in a TikTok video on Dubai Future Foundation. But the mogul has also been speaking out with a host of media outlets.

Global regulators worry the rise in privately operated currencies could undermine their control of the financial and monetary systems, increase systemic risks, promote financial crime and hurt investors. In the United States, President Joe Biden's regulators have launched several efforts to rein in cryptocurrencies.

- By 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss and at least 700 will require hearing rehabilitation. - Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. - An annual additional investment of less than US$ 1.40 per person is needed to scale up ear and hearing care services globally. - Over a 10-year period, this promises a return of nearly US$ 16 for every US dollar invested.

"Material science offers corrosion engineers design options in corrosion control with advanced materials. Engineered properties created through specialized processing and synthesis technologies give advanced materials superior performance over conventional materials and include ceramics, high value-added metals, electronic materials, composites, polymers, and biomaterials."