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To meet the SDGs, it’s time we unleash the power of social entrepreneurs
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Government leaders, civil society and businesses worldwide are actively seeking solutions to reach the crucial deadline of 2030 for the SDGs.
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Planning smart and sustainable cities for the rich
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One of the big ideas of the 21st century, “smart cities” promised a new world of connected, data-driven and sustainable urbanism. Pervasive digital infrastructures would monitor flows from sewage to traffic to criminal activities, providing information in real time and anticipating and preventing risks.
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U.S. Partnering with Middle Eastern Countries for Minerals Security
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The United States should develop new partnerships and extend incentives to them in order to meet its needs, particularly in an environment where China is rapidly rolling out export restrictions that could undermine U.S. national, technology, and energy security.
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We must attack black carbon air pollution to protect the climate
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Pound for pound black carbon is 1,500 times more powerful than CO2 in heating the planet. It’s particularly devastating in the Arctic, where it helps drive warming four times faster than the global average. It also contributes to over 10 million deaths every year from fossil-fuelled outdoor air pollution and indoors from dirty cooking fuels.
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The world’s best smart buildings
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Smart buildings — facilities which use intelligence to collect data from the likes of devices, sensors, systems and on-premises services — are setting new standards for sustainability, as well as efficiency and comfort.
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Designing buildings to stay cool in a heatwave without air conditioning
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Architects around the world are developing designs that not only respond to their local climates and cultural contexts but also push the boundaries of sustainable design. Some are inspired by vernacular architecture, a type of traditional construction specific to the building’s location and the locally available materials.
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Global South cities lack cooling green spaces
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Cities in the Global South are more exposed to extreme heat because they lack cooling green spaces, new research shows. The study found that Global South cities have just 70% of the “cooling capacity” provided by urban greenery in the Global North.
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Language of instruction and literacy outcomes
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The analysis was based on data made available by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) on SDG indicators 4.1.1 (percentage of students who achieve minimum proficiency in reading) and 4.5.2 (percentage of students who have their first or home language as LOI).
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40% of Global Energy Generated by Renewables in 2023
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More than 40% of the world’s electricity was generated by zero-carbon sources for the first time ever last year, according to EcoWatch.
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