Resource

Building a nature-positive economy

Over half of global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature, says a World Economic Forum report.

Businesses are more dependent on nature and biodiversity than they may realise, according to The New Nature Economy Report produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
An analysis of 163 industry sectors and their supply chains found that more than half of the world's GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its "services".
Pollination, water quality and disease control are just three examples of the services that an ecosystem can provide. Economic value generation amounting to US$44 trillion -- over half the world's total GDP -- is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services and, as a result, exposed to risks from nature loss.
Construction ($4 trillion), agriculture ($2.5 trillion) and food and beverages ($1.4 trillion) are the three largest industries that depend most on nature. Combined, their value is roughly twice the size of the German economy.

A Framework for Developing a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy - Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution

Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as the software engine that drives the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a technological force affecting all disciplines, economies and industries. The exponential growth in computing infrastructure combined with the dramatic reduction in the cost of obtaining, processing, storing and transmitting data has revolutionized the way software is developed, and automation is carried out. Put simply, we have moved from machine programming to machine learning. This transformation has created great opportunities but poses serious risks. Various stakeholders, including governments, corporations, academics and civil society organizations have been making efforts to exploit the benefits it provides and to prepare for the risks it poses. Because government is responsible for protecting citizens from various harms and providing for collective goods and services, it has a unique duty to ensure that the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution creates benefits for the many, rather than the few.

The circular economy – Under construction

Construction products that must be procured off-site should, where possible, be reused from other demolished assets or, if that is not possible, manufactured from recycled resources. However, care should be taken to ensure that reused and recycled products do not cause unintended negative environmental and social consequences. For example, transporting reused products for far greater distances than local virgin products. LCA can greatly assist in identifying which options are beneficial overall.

Sustainable finance is performing well in the pandemic—but why?

Sustainable finance is not new. Early calls for economic transactions to incorporate environmental, social, or governance (ESG) issues can be traced back as far as the Holy Books. But it would have been difficult to divine the uptake of sustainable finance in recent times, largely achieved in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Circular is not always sustainable

The circular economy is hot. A growing number of entrepreneurs, policymakers and financiers use this term at every possible occasion, appropriately or not. But is it also happening? Because there is really only one criterion that decides whether the circular economy is a success: does it enhance sustainability?