Thanks to a groundbreaking new program that relies on advanced satellite technology, a weather index insurance payout of unprecedented scale will benefit poor African farmers.
Category: Economics
The Future of Transportation: More Safety, Savings and Sustainability
Though driverless cars sound like something out of the “The Jetsons,” they are just one of many innovations already under way in the realm of personal transportation.
The US Jobs Challenge and Its Future
Collaboration between government and the private sector will be essential to substantially increasing job opportunities. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in September 2012 – its lowest level since January 2009.
Partnering for Impact
Our highly interconnected and interdependent world has given rise to an extraordinary collaborative effort to design a future that is sustainable, prosperous and empowering. The recently concluded Clinton Global Initiative 2012 annual meeting’s theme, “Designing for Impact,” focused on designing our lives, environments and the global systems that can create more opportunity and equality.
IKEA Foundation Pledges $2.5 Million to Earth Institute Project in India
In partnership with Earth Institute researchers, the IKEA Foundation has pledged over $2.5 million to help improve the quality of education through pilot projects in two Indian states.
Breaking the Poverty Trap in Ethiopia: Subsistence, Satellites, and Some Other Important Stuff
Two acres of cracked earth. In northern Ethiopia, it can be a trap that keeps farmers tethered to it for generations. Or it can be a springboard to a better life for this and future generations. What impedes it from showing its springier qualities? You could argue the biggest pressure on the land comes from the sky above it.
Rio 2016 Olympics: Another Reason to Watch Brazil’s Rise
If public-private partnerships are essential to successfully carrying out the Olympics and using it to catalyze positive change for the host city, then Rio could have an important advantage for hosting the games in 2016.
London Olympics: How the Games Help Urban Development
The Olympics symbolize unity and friendship: The whole world comes together for the Games, playing by the same rules, honoring the same Olympian spirit of excellence and fair play. But today’s Olympics are notable for another type of collaboration—between the public and private sectors.
For Tomorrow’s Leaders, a Tool Box for a Complex World
How are the global leaders of tomorrow going to secure renewable sources of energy, solve the problems of water scarcity, and maintain our standard of living – all while improving health, ending poverty, and accommodating a growing population and changing environment? The World Economic Forum, with its commitment to “improving the state of the world,” realizes that future global leaders cannot address these complex challenges without a sound understanding of environmental science and policy, and came to Columbia University to gain these important tools. From July 15-20, 2012, The Earth Institute, the School of the Arts, the School of Continuing Education, and the Mailman School of Public Health welcomed the Global Leadership Fellows from the World Economic Forum.
China Burns up the Clean Energy Race
Although China dominates in the race to be the leading global manufacturer of clean renewable energy, they are not necessarily doing the most for the environment. China, consistently pushing the clean energy market towards an economic future, was expected to be a leading developing country in negotiations at Rio+20. Meanwhile, the United States, without a more forward-looking energy policy, simply cannot compete.
