Correcting media myths about refugees and migrants
Today the world is home to more displaced persons than at any time in recorded history, leading to complex challenges for many countries as they try to manage these flows and successfully welcome these new citizens. Yet these challenges are made even harder by a lack of accurate, accessible informat…
The Next Phase For Agriculture Technology
Agriculture technology is no longer a niche that no one’s heard about. Agriculture has confirmed its place as an industry of interest for the venture capital community after investment in agtech broke records for the past three years in a row, reaching $4.6 billion in 2015. For a long time…
Solar Power Boosts Food Production & Fights Poverty
We all know that solar power offers myriad health and environmental benefits over traditional energy sources — including reduced emissions and improved air quality — but the social benefits it offers are perhaps less well known. A new paper from IRENA, launched today at InterSolar Eur…
It’s not how much oil, but how much influence
The United States has more oil than Saudi Arabia, says a new study by Norwegian consultancy Rystad Energy. The size of American reserves, at 264 billion barrels, is around a fifth higher than what is estimated to be located in the desert kingdom. That’s a surprise. But it’s also beside the point. Oi…
Why Climate Change Is an Education Issue
Climate change affects us all, but we still are not acting as quickly as we should to address its causes, mitigate the damage, and adapt to its effects. Many people don’t understand the risks climate change poses to global economic and social structures. And, sadly, many who do understand are dismis…
Geo-Economics Moves Front and Center as Connectivity Reshuffles Global Politics
At the foundations of the major crises that have rocked Europe over the past three years can be found questions of geo-economics. Whether in the Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014, the migration crisis that began in earnest in 2015, or last week’s decision of British voters to approve an exit f…
Why Sustainable Development Makes Good Business Sense
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the fundamental cornerstone to secure future economic and business growth by eradicating poverty in an inclusive way, while protecting the environment. It is not possible to have a strong, functioning business in a world of increasing inequality, poverty …
Climate change is making our summers more extreme
Scientists have been able to more directly link extreme weather, like the floods that hit Central Europe last month, to climate change. A changed climate could also mean hotter summers – and with that, more deaths. Europe’s summer got off to a torrential start this year as severe flooding struck muc…
View from Madrid: A polarised election context
The reactions of Spanish officials and political leaders to the Brexit vote converge around three main messages. These are: the need to maintain political stability, reassurance for Spanish residents in the UK (a quarter of a million of them, according to some sources), as well as support for the po…
What the horror in Istanbul reveals about the fight against the Islamic State
PARIS, BRUSSELS and now Istanbul: The horrific attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Tuesday evening, which killed at least 41 people and injured hundreds more, suggested that the Islamic State’s capacity to mount major raids on strategic international targets re…