Research published in the Reviews of Geophysics, develops the likely range of "equilibrium climate sensitivity" (ECS).This is the measure of how much the world can be expected to warm for a doubling of CO2 above pre-industrial levels.The findings suggest that the range of ECS is likely to be between 2.6C and 4.1C. After four years of labour and detailed discussions by an international team of scientists, we are able to quantify better than ever b...

As I am a novice here, please forgive my greater than usual clumsiness. I saw an announcement asking people to post in the blog, and so I am dutifully making a effort to contribute. How many pillars are there in sustainable development - or sustainability? If you answer three, you would be right, at least in the traditional view of the term. This view holds that sustainability has three dimensions or pillars: society, the environment and the econ...

Almost 690 million people in the world were undernourished in 2019 – that's 8.9% of the world population, a new UN report says.This figure could exceed 840 million by 2030, if current trends continue.Factors increasing global hunger include economic slowdowns and extreme weather events.The UN warns that without efforts to reform global food systems, its target of zero hunger by 2030 will be missed. There are almost 60 million more undernourished ...

Africa will be the only region in the world where population will still be growing at the end of the century.Given a 48% population decline expected in China, Nigeria will become the second biggest country globally by 2100, behind only India. Every global region could see their populations decline by the end of the century—except Africa. The expected population contraction will be due to dropping fertility rates with death rates being either at p...

The pandemic has forced students around the world into distance learning.This has exposed the shortcomings of both online and classroom-based education.As we get back to normal, we have a chance to combine the best of both worlds into a more effective pedagogical model. Here's how COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on life across the planet, and few things are expected to return to the old normal anytime soon. For education, though, a new normal ...

75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic.60% of known infectious diseases are, too.$100 billion has been lost to zoonotic diseases over the past two decades – not accounting for COVID-19. More than half a million deaths. Almost 12 million infections. And those are just the confirmed numbers. Plus an estimated $9 trillion in economic stimulus from the world's governments. All that in a little over six months since the emergence of the COVI...

COVID-19 has created a unique opportunity to build a more sustainable world, a new report says.The pandemic has boosted awareness of and support for sustainable practices.Business and investors have a critical role in steering the economic recovery.Global cooperation is needed to make the world more sustainable. More than half a century ago, one of the first images of Earth adrift in space was taken by the Apollo 8 space mission. The shot is ofte...

Ships are responsible for roughly 3% of global CO2 and GHG emissions (CO2-eq), emitting approximately 1 billion tonnes of CO2 and GHGs per year, according to the data from 2007 to 2012. Yet the total emissions from international shipping could go up due to the growth of the world maritime trade.To mitigate the shipping industry's carbon footprint, the International Maritime Organization ("IMO"), as the United Nations specialized agency with respo...

Recently, 150 high-profile authors, commentators and scholars signed an open letter in Harper's magazine claiming that "open debate and toleration of differences" are under attack. Signatories included JK Rowling, Margaret Atwood, Gloria Steinem and Noam Chomsky. While prefacing their comments with support for current racial and social justice movements, the signatories argue there has been a weakening of the norms of open debate in favour of dog...

The Future of Nature and Business, the second of three reports in the World Economic Forum's New Nature Economy series, provides the practical insights needed to take leadership in shifting towards a much needed nature-positive economy. As the world prepares to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting crisis, we are presented with an unprecedented clarion call, and opportunity, to change the way we eat, live, grow, build and power our liv...