NuseReal
What comes after COVID-19? A roundup of the best ideas we could find on the
Internet
Curated by Peter Hulm
Afghanistan
Bahamas
Thailand
Putin watch
Biden News
Metoo
Science
Sites to explore
Digital tools
— There is no consensus on when this is likely to happen. The sixth assessment report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), expressed "medium confidence that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation will not collapse abruptly before 2100". However, the signatories of the open letter to the Nordic Council argued that new research indicated that the risk had so far been "greatly underestimated", and the "passing of this tipping point is a serious possibility already in the next few decades." — Even if a storm surge does reach the second level, the living space is also equipped with vents to let floodwaters pass through the house instead of getting trapped inside. Every Hunters Point home is also held down by steel-reinforced straps that run from the foundation to the roof. Even the solar panels are fixed to the roof so they are protected from extreme winds and highly resistant to being blown off. — Homes are available in Hunters Point, but they are listed between $1.4 million and $1.9 million, roughly two to three times the average home price for the area. — Of the 5,500 domed and rounded homes Deltec has constructed, only one has sustained damage from high winds, according to its records, despite facing some of the country's most powerful hurricanes on record, including Irma, Michael, Katrina, Dorian and, most recently, Milton. Deltec says it has heard from dozens of homeowners and none have reported damage from Hurricane Milton. — A circular shape means the home is more aerodynamic, with Deltec president Steve Linton claiming the round design leads to significantly less pressure building up on the outside of the home. The design means the home can absorb and distribute the energy better than a traditional house, regardless of the direction of the wind force, he adds. "This works much like the spokes on a wheel," Linton says. — The domed form also has an advantage, Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an associate professor in the University of Miami's civil, architectural and environmental engineering department and associate director of the Climate Resilience Institute, explains, because the homes don't resist the flow of the wind around them. "A regular house with edges like a box, and a flat roof, that creates a certain obstacle to the flow of the wind," he explains. "When you have a house that's round, by default it receives less force from the wind. It's not only the engineering but also the architecture that can affect the [wind] load.
"[These homes] are resistant. They're not affected by the strong winds that we have with hurricanes," says Rhode-Barbarigos. — In the past, Deltec houses were only available in custom designs. A new line of pre-designed models are "hurricane ready", designed to withstand wind speeds up to 190 miles (307km) per hour, and 25% cheaper than the custom builds. Deltec provides the "shell" of the house, while the site prep, roof shingles, insulation and drywall are completed by the buyer's own builder. The shells cost, on average, one-third of the total house cost, and ranges from $45,900 (£35,000) for a 515 sq ft (48 sq m) home to $132,500 (£101,000) for a 2,070 sq ft (192 sq m) home. — Five years after the House of Representative's Environment Committee voted in favour of better protection for insects, Swiss NGO Birdlife has criticised the government's hesitant action. The loss of valuable habitats continues, it says. Overall, almost 60% of insect species are threatened or potentially threatened in Switzerland; 59 wild bee species (9.6%) have already disappeared, according to the 2024 red list. — According to the rankings, the most climate-conscious canton is Basel City. Appenzell Inner Rhodes lags furthest behind. — The massive shelves that make up the surface of our plane will eventually merge together to form one massive supercontinent, Pangea Ultima. "The newly-emerged supercontinent would effectively create a triple whammy, comprising the continentality effect, hotter sun and more CO2 in the atmosphere, of increasing heat for much of the planet." Typical temperatures will hover between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius, combined with high levels of humidity. Somewhere between eight and 16 per cent of the overall landmass of Pangea Ultima would be habitable, the study says. — The report by the International Trade Centre (ITC) shows BSOs in developing countries how to engage meaningfully with businesses in the agricultural value chain on climate change issues and offer services that are better targeted, better designed and more effective. The report identifies climate-smart practices and technologies, alternative land uses and value-added products as market opportunities. It lists many of the potential goods and services that support climate resilience. — Summer days exceed 40 degrees in London and 45 degrees in Delhi, as extreme heat waves are now 8 to 9 times more common. These high temperatures prompt widespread blackouts, as power grids struggle to keep up with the energy demands needed to properly cool homes. Ambulance sirens blare through the night, carrying patients suffering from heatstroke, dehydration, and exhaustion. The southwestern United States, southern Africa, and eastern Australia experience longer, more frequent, and more severe droughts. The Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan face more frequent heavy rainfall as rising temperatures cause water to evaporate faster, and trap more water in the atmosphere. As the weather becomes more erratic, some communities are unable to keep pace with rebuilding what’s constantly destroyed. — "With an investment of 1260 CHF/year per capita in local energy communities, districts can produce about half of the total energy needs of Switzerland by using around 60% of the available roof surface." — Jobs held by managers, professionals, and technicians exhibit minimal vulnerability to automation, with only a small fraction of tasks at high risk and around a quarter at medium risk. High-income countries face the potential automation of about 5.5% of total employment, whereas low-income countries encounter automation risks affecting a mere 0.4% of employment. But, the potential for augmentation appears nearly equal across countries, implying that with the right policies, AI could offer substantial benefits to developing nations. — Accumulated schedule slips and budget overruns threaten to make it the most delayed — and most cost–inflated–science project in history. As late as early July 2022, ITER's website announced that the machine was expected to turn on as scheduled in December 2025. Afterward that date bore an asterisk clarifying that it would be revised. Now the date has disappeared from the website altogether. In January 2022 the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) put a stop to ITER assembly entirely. ASN is unconvinced that, among other issues, the planned amount of radiation shielding around the machine will be adequate, and the authority won't let the assembly go forward until ITER can prove that it can keep personnel safe. Adjusted for inflation, its price is about the same as that of the Manhattan Project, which made the first atomic bombs — and is almost certain to get larger. Climate change is NOT our main problem, says TV science star (LINK) Diana Budds: "I'm struck by how much of this public-health crisis is being framed as a matter of individual responsibility — of vaccine status, of shopping for the right mask, of being able to afford the time and money to get a test. City and state officials have neglected that the circumstances in which there really isn't much individual control — where you live, your employer's policies, and how you get around — matter a whole lot as well. Health [has become]another luxury marketing tool. Thinking about healthy cities as a system looks a lot like the Green New Deal. Housing is health care. Jobs are health care. Climate justice is health care." "We believe this to be a landmark in the global voluntary carbon credit market. MCO2 has already been used by more than 300 companies around the globe." Moss's innovation consists in backing in blockchain a real green asset generated by environmental projects in the Amazon Rainforest and which can be traded on exchanges or used to neutralize gases in the atmosphere. "The most obvious changes to the workplace will also likely be the shortest lasting. Think: UV lights, Covid-19 test vending machines, and constant deep cleanings." "Scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the German Development Institute have developed a new integrated strategy that combines ambitious climate action with dedicated policies for development, food and energy access, global and national equity, and environmental sustainability. It sheds new light on bottlenecks, but also synergies for boosting progress towards climate and sustainable development targets." "The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to increase from 933 million (one third of global urban population) in 2016 to 1.693–2.373 billion people (one third to nearly half of global urban population) in 2050, with India projected to be most severely affected. [But] More than two thirds of water-scarce cities can relieve water scarcity by infrastructure investment." "It's [...] unclear whether a future decline can be expected to be moderate or sharp, but both scenarios indicate society will run into limits in the medium term. [...] It is not too late to change course. [...] A deliberate trajectory change is still possible." (PDF) Many older persons struggle to access essential goods and services — from online vaccination appointment registrations, to pensions, food and medication during lockdowns — if they cannot access them online. "Support our people outside of the "nine to five" "Increase the minimum wage." "Well-funded and quality universal healthcare." "Support our people outside of 'nine to five'." "Promote more transparent and accountable systems." "Address the basic fundamentals of knowledge creation and collaboration." "Increase public investments in the formal and informal care economies." "Don't use the pandemic as a justification to discriminate and exclude." "A new generation of regulatory policies, based on five proposed principles, is needed to create a foundation that will balance BigFintechs' commercial interests with sustainable development and public interests, particularly in developing countries, as well as the rest of the world." Coronavirus pandemic recovery efforts should provide comprehensive social
protection, fight climate change and ensure vaccines reach the poorest people quickly. "Singapore has applied nature-based solutions to achieve climate, ecological and
social resilience with innovative modern technology." "Respondents to the World Economic Forum's most-recent Chief Economists Survey see the growth rate for 2021 about 6%, and most expect a recovery of global GDP to its pre-COVID-19 level by the first half of 2022. And yet, behind these numbers, some countries are experiencing dramatic new waves of the virus; people are still processing 18 months of ill health, grief and stress; millions of workers have dropped out of the global labor force; job openings are going unfilled across high-income economies; and a number of risk factors could yet delay or derail even the aggregate rebound." The number of entry-level jobs posted in the US decreased by 68% in 2020 due to
COVID-19. However, this was a continuation of a trend that began following the last recession. Graduates
often don't have all the skills required to jump straight into a tech-driven knowledge economy. Higher
education and employers need to provide the di literacy training needed so that more young people can
find jobs. Several northern European economies are cited as doing well – Denmark, Finland,
Germany and Norway. The report's authors describe Turkey's recovery spending as a "commendable outlier"
which is "not accurately represented" on their graph due to visual limitations. The report suggests that in Europe, recovery spending has missed a number of
potential green investment opportunities and that more could certainly be done. "Only 2.5% of all
spending and 18% of recovery spending is likely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," it states. "About 80% of the goods we consume are carried by ships, but we easily forget
this." By early 2021, freight rates from China to South America had jumped 443% compared with 63% on the
route between Asia and North America's eastern coast. UNCTAD has provided A 10-point action plan to keep
ships moving, ports open and trade flowing during the pandemic. "In 24 cases with economic estimates of services, conservation or restoration benefits (for example,
greenhouse gas regulation, flood protection) tend to outweigh those private benefits (for example,
profits from agriculture or logging)." Countries with advanced digital economies and digital skills have been more successful at keeping their
economies running while their citizens worked from home. The Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland,
Estonia, and the United States have performed well on this measure. Countries with robust economic safety nets, such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, Austria, Luxembourg and
Switzerland, were well placed to support those who could not work. Similarly, countries with strong
financial systems such as Finland, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, could more
easily provide credit to SMEs to prevent insolvency. Countries that could successfully plan and integrate health, fiscal and social policies have been
relatively more successful in mitigating the effects of the crisis, including Singapore, Switzerland,
Luxembourg, Austria and the United Arab Emirates. — article updates the original "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity" document released in 1992. — Since 1992, CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions have jumped 62 percent and the global temperature is up 29 percent, while the abundance of vertebrate wildlife has plunged 29 percent. Plus:The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) drops the requirement to align with the Paris Agreement in order to participate: is set to undergo a significant restructuring in the way it functions and the requirements for participation, as well as a realignment of its key priorities, as more firms exit their key sub-alliance networks. — 7 January 2025 (LINK)
EBCare: a smart mask that revolutionizes health monitoring by analyzing breath in real-time to detect respiratory and metabolic conditions. — 22 December 2024 (LINK)
Scientists warn of possible collapse "in the next few decades" of Atlantic currents which could have catastrophic consequences for the Nordic countries. — 28 October 2024 (LINK)
Hurricane-resistant, net-zero Florida Hunters Point community near Tampa Bay survived a direct hit from Milton: solar panels and living quarters over garage, 4m above ground: the innovation comes at a price — 17 October 2024 (LINK)
Mexico Beach, Florida domed homes survived category 5 hurricanes — 17 October 2024 (LINK)
Swiss government criticised for delay in insect protection — 27 August 2024 (LINK)
Not one Swiss canton on track for Paris climate agreement — 27 August 2024 (LINK)
Biden administration issues guidelines on carbon credit integrity — thehill — 28 May 2024 (LINK)
The Father of the 15-minute city on its impact and limitations — bloomberg — 6 May 2024 (LINK)
World-first supercomputer simulation predicts when human extinction on Earth will happen — in around 250 million years — Reuters ● — 29 April 2024 (LINK)
Agrifood Exports and Climate Change: A guide for business support organizations — ITC — 25 March 2024 (LINK)
TED-Ed video: What happens if we do nothing about the climate crisis? From 28 March — v — 10 April 2024 (LINK)
Researchers from EPFL and HES-SO Valais Wallis have published a study emphasizing the importance of local energy solutions, and the role of decentralized photovoltaic systems for community empowerment in a more sustainable energy future for Switzerland: this could reduce annual system costs by 10% and elevate self-consumption rates to 68%. — see_link — 5 April 2024 (LINK)
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and climate risks are threatening its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people’s health. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) first ever assessment, many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action. — see_link — 10 March 2024 (LINK)
AI impact is poised to enhance jobs, not erase them, according to a 21 August ILO study — www.cryptopolitan.com — 10 September 2023 (LINK)
Rhine economy feels the pinch of melting glaciers in the Alps — euractiv — 10 August 2023 (LINK)
UN chief says fossil fuels are 'incompatible with human survival,' calls for credible exit strategy — ap / www.pbs.org — 15 June 2023 (LINK)
World Bank Confirms Reallocating Fossil Fuel, Factory Farm Subsidies Key to Solving Climate Crisis — www.commondreams.org — 15 June 2023 (LINK)
Scientists issue increasingly dire warnings as ocean surface temperatures spike — pbs.org — 15 June 2023 (LINK)
New hyper-efficient solar panels are 1000 times more powerful — www.thebrighterside.news — 15 June 2023 (LINK)
World's Largest Fusion Project Is in Big Trouble, New Documents Reveal — www.scientificamerican.com — 15 June 2023 (LINK)
10 new technologies coming in next five years with far-reaching impact on people's daily lives — nationthailand — 14 October 2022 (LINK)
"Highly-intelligent" 333 Kingsland Road named UK's best affordable housing — dezeen — 13 October 2022 (LINK)
Interview: New UN climate chief takes the fight personally — AP — 24 September 2022 (LINK)
Pope Francis calls for world to abandon fossil fuels — dw — 24 September 2022 (LINK)
These 4 countries are designing futuristic cities, from floating neighbourhoods to mega-metropolises: South Korea, Maldives, Egypt, Saudi Arabia — cntraveller — 7 September 2022 (LINK)
New initiatives are protecting the Galápagos for future generations — nationalgeographic — 28 August 2022 (LINK)
How 'own nothing and be happy' sparked a misinformation campaign that targeted the World Economic Forum — wef / theglobeandmail — 5 August 2022 (LINK)
Singapore's methodical approach to becoming a net-zero city — weforum — 7 March 2022 (LINK)
PCC adaptation report 'a damning indictment of failed global leadership on climate' — ungeneva — 28 February 2022 (LINK)
EU launches summit reset with Africa after pandemic pause — reuters — 17 February 2022 (LINK)
5 robots that could soon become part of our everyday lives: Zipline, AMP Robotics, ABB(YouTube), Diligent Robots (YouTube), AppHarvest — weforum — 9 February 2022 (LINK)
Re-envisioning corporations: How DAOs and blockchain can improve the way we organize — weforum — 8 February 2022 (LINK)
How the metaverse might be monetized — weforum — 3 February 2022 (LINK)
Climate change has likely begun to suffocate the world's fisheries — sciencedaily — 1 February 2022 (LINK)
Number of Earth's tree species estimated to be 14% higher than currently known, with some 9,200 species yet to be discovered — sciencedaily — 31 January 2022 (LINK)
What Will It Take to Design (Actually) Healthy Cities? — curbed — 23 December 2021 (LINK)
The Great Reset Debate: "Fact Checking Media Tries to Debunk Great Reset Theories, Articles Ignite Heated Discussions Over Reboot Agenda" — bitcoin — 22 December 2021 (LINK)
Coinbase Lists Mco2, The World's First Green Digital Asset — dailycoin — 22 December 2021 (LINK)
Human Protocol: Creates New Ways For People to Connect With Work — blockonomi — 18 December 2021 (LINK)
Students in Netherlands design a house that revolutionizes urban design — inhabitat — 16 December 2021 (LINK)
Over 100 world leaders commit to reversing deforestation by 2030 — axios — 2 November 2021 (LINK)
The world's smartest and sustainable cities — domusweb — 13 October 2021 (LINK)
A new AI for Road Safety initiative: Halving annual road deaths by 2030 requires faster digital innovation, UN partners affirm — itu — 7 October 2021 (LINK)
Better than recycling? These manufacturers are taking part in a 'circular economy' — marketwatch — 7 October 2021 (LINK)
How Climate Change Could Undermine Biodiversity Conservation Goals — eurasiareview — 2 October 2021 (LINK)
How to develop a data literacy program in your organization — techtarget — 27 August 2021 (LINK)
Changes To the Post-Pandemic Workplace: a review — morningbrew — 10 August 2021 (LINK)
Big win for U.S. $1T infrastructure bill: Dems, GOP come together — AP — 10 August 2021 (LINK)
The latest U.S. jobs report: "stronger than economists had predicted, and even stronger than the administration had hoped" — heathercoxrichardson — 10 August 2021 (LINK)
UN report says Mediterranean 'climate change hotspot' will see temps 20% higher than global average — newswires / france24 — 6 August 2021 (LINK)
New Pathway To Mitigate Climate Change And Boost Progress On UN Sustainable Development Goals — eurasiareview — 3 August 2021 (LINK)
Future global urban water scarcity and potential solutions — nature — 3 August 2021 (LINK)
IMF: Fault Lines Widen in the Global Recovery — imf — 27 July 2021 (LINK)
Greenland suspends oil exploration because of climate change — AP — 16 July 2021 (LINK)
MIT Predicted in 1972 That Society Will Collapse This Century. New Research Shows We're on Schedule — vice — 14 July 2021 (LINK)
Almost a quarter of global banking assets now in the Net-Zero Banking Alliance — unepfi — 11 July 2021 (LINK)
Ageing in the Digital Era — unece — 7 July 2021 (LINK)
How can the world address inequality? 7 experts explain — weforum — 5 July 2021 (LINK)
Antarctica Just Recorded Its Highest Temperature Ever — hypebeast — 4 July 2021 (LINK)
Bee-friendly living roofs on the Leicester city bus stops are part of goal to become carbon-neutral by 2030! — yankodesign — 2 July 2021 (LINK)
World must strike right balance between ocean protection and production: UNCTAD Special Adviser for the Blue Economy Dona Bertarelli — unctad — 30 June 2021 (LINK)
Nature Within Cities and Cities Within Nature — genevaenvironmentnetwork — 30 June 2021 (LINK)
McKinsey: These are the skills you will need for the future of work — weforum — 28 June 2021 (LINK)
Antitrust and data privacy regulations are insufficient to manage BigFintechs' economic, social and environmental impacts, says a new UNDP/UNCDF study — forbes — 22 June 2021 (LINK)
'Potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years': scientists on the scorching US heatwave — The Guardian — 18 June 2021 (LINK)
Duflo offers pathways to a better future, lessons from COVID-19 crisis — unctad — 16 June 2021 (LINK)
UNECE Task Force will advance internationally comparable measurement of the circular economy — unece — 16 June 2021 (LINK)
International Geneva, a hub for environmental governance? — genevasolutions — 15 June 2021 (LINK)
New ways of working call for new ways to measure work: UNECE-led statisticians investigate — unece — 9 June 2021 (LINK)
How to reimagine our cities as hubs for biodiversity, conservation and climate resilience — weforum — 5 June 2021 (LINK)
What will a post-pandemic economy look like? Here's what chief economists expect — weforum — 1 June 2021 (LINK)
WEF: 10 top jobs of the future — weforum — 18 May 2021 (LINK)
Is the entry-level job going extinct? — weforum — 17 May 2021 (LINK)
These countries are leading the way on a post-pandemic green recovery — weforum — 29 April 2021 (LINK)
Shipping during COVID-19: container freight rates have surged
— unctad — 23 April 2021ScanVan builds 3D models to explore the future of urban digitization in
Switzerland
— epfl — 23 April 2021UN Global Compact launches Climate Ambition Accelerator to help more companies set
science-based emissions reduction targets
— yahoo — 22 April 2021Apple launches $200 million forestry fund for climate change
— theverge — 15 April 2021Infosys Co-Founder Suggests Crypto Capital Inflow Can Solve India's SME Financial
Gap
— source — 11 April 2021Ocean protection needs a
spirit of compromise
— nature — 17 March
2021How much economic
growth is necessary to reduce global poverty substantially?
— ourworldindata — 15 March 2021A giant leap towards measuring nature's contributions to the economy
— worldbank — 12 March 2021Biodiversity: ground-breaking change to economic reporting accounting for nature's
contribution to economy
— europa — 11 March
2021Bill Gates Proposes To Technofix Climate Change but Underplays the Role of
Nature
— thewire — 11 March 2021Growing support for valuing
ecosystems will help conserve the planet
— nature — 10 March 2021The economic consequences
of conserving or restoring sites for nature
— nature — 8 March 2021Robots in schools: new teaching methods on the horizon?
— swissinfo — 2 March 2021'Too late': David Attenborough warns at UN: Earth faces 'total collapse'
— yahoo — 24 February 2021Biden's Climate Envoy, at U.N., Likens Global Inaction to a 'Suicide Pact'
— nytimes — 23 February 2021Major North Atlantic Current May Be Hurtling Towards Collapse
— gizmodo — 23 February 2021A new UN report urges a radical shift in the way we think about nature
— cnn — 19 February 2021Is India's glacier disaster a stark warning of more climate risks to come?
— genevasolutions — 11 February 2021Climate Change Priorities on Health, Human Rights and Labor
— thecvf — 11 February 2021IKEA will help turn a Swedish city into a sustainable community
— engadget — 11 February 2021The future of "smart" cities is in street lights
— axios — 11 February 2021How Sweden is taking back parking spaces to improve urban living
— theguardian — 8 February 2021Economists call for green
approach to valuing wealth
— reuters news trust — 2 February 202120 jobs that will start to disappear in the next 5 years
— yahoo — 27 January 202161 Global Business Leaders Support ESG Convergence by Committing to Stakeholder
Capitalism Metrics
— weforum — 26 January
2021A Hint From Davos: Regulating Crypto Is 'in the Public Interest'
— cryptonews — 25 January 2021Amsterdam Is Embracing
a Radical New Economic Theory to Help Save the Environment. Could It Also Replace
Capitalism?
— time — 22 January 2021Countries
Must Adapt to Climate Change Now, UN Warns
— dw/ecowatch — 15 January 2021Though not all SIDS are heavily indebted, 17 are considered by the IMF as being at
'high risk' of debt distress, unable to meet their loan payments
— unctad —7 January 2021Catchup:
WEF: the world's greatest threats in 2021
— weforum — 19 January 2021The world's largest free trade area starts up on Jan. 1, 2021: in Africa
— qz — 31 December 2020Millennials are ready to run things
— niemanlab — 23 December 2020World could lose coral reefs within this century, UN environment report
warns
— devdiscourse — 22 December 2020 WEF World Competitiveness Report:Few Economies Are Ready for Long-term Prosperity
through Improved Public Services, Green Investments and Digitization
— wef — 16 December 2020Aid crisis: one might have thought that a global pandemic would have led to
multilateral cooperation, the exact opposite has taken place
— swissinfo — 15 December 2020This was
easily the warmest November on record, as three times earlier this year
— mashable — 7 December 2020The Great Barrier Reef Is Now Officially in 'Critical' Condition
— vice — 4 December 2020UN chief slams 'suicidal war on nature' as 2020 on track to be one of hottest years
on record
— france24 — 2 December 2020Climate change is already a disaster to health, doctors say
— theverge — 2 December 2020UNDP's Rising up for SIDS project: Small island developing states do not have the
luxury of time
— undp — 2 December 2020 New Zealand declares a climate change emergency
— upi — 2 December 2020The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has calculated that global warming by 2100 could be
as low as 2.1°C as a result of all the net zero pledges announced as of November 2020.
— climateactiontracker — 1 December 2020Remote working is here to stay. But who will be doing it?
— weforum — 1 December 2020In case you missed this from 2017: 15,000 scientists from 184 countries are warning humankind we are screwed — 18 August 2024 (LINK)