SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Dynamic Briefing Generated 04 October 2020 for Marco Antonio Gonzalez
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Last review on Sun 15 September 2019
About This dynamic briefing draws on the collective intelligence of the Forum network to explore the key trends, interconnections and interdependencies between industry, regional and global issues. In the briefing, you will find a visual representation of this topic (Transformation Map – interactive version available online via intelligence.weforum.org ), an overview and the key trends affecting it, along with summaries and links to the latest research and analysis on each of the trends. Briefings for countries also include the relevant data from the Forum’s benchmarking indices. The content is continuously updated with the latest thinking of leaders and experts from across the Forum network, and with insights from Forum meetings, projects communities and activities.
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Executive summary This Transformation Map provides a contextual briefing for one of the Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations’ framework for making real progress towards a more sustainable future by the year 2030 - by mapping related strategic issues and interdependencies. The content, including attached key issue headings and texts, is drawn from expert- and machine-curated knowledge on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform; it is not a reproduction of the official text of the SDG. The UN introduces this Goal as follows: 'Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all. Its implementation helps to achieve overall development plans, reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty. At the current time, material consumption of natural resources is increasing, particularly within Eastern Asia. Countries are also continuing to address challenges regarding air, water and soil pollution. Since sustainable consumption and production aims at “doing more and better with less,” net welfare gains from economic activities can increase by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole life cycle, while increasing quality of life. There also needs to be significant focus on operating on supply chain, involving everyone from producer to final consumer. This includes educating consumers on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing them with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others.'
1. A Circular Economy in Cities
7. Mobilizing Action, Making Societies Inclusive
Cities now consume three-quarters of all natural resources, but that can change.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution does not have to create the type of inequality wrought by the first.
2. Systems-Level Circular Change In order to eliminate wasteful practices, entire systems must be transformed from end to end.
3. Demographic and Demand Shifts Population growth, an expanding global middle class and urbanization are presenting challenges for food systems.
4. Circular Business Models Opportunities abound to incentivize more product sharing, durability, and reuse.
5. Environmentally-Sustainable Consumerism China and India will soon be home to trillions of dollars in new consumption; making it sustainable is essential.
6. Accelerating Sustainability Sustainable production is becoming a competitive advantage.
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A Circular Economy in Cities Cities now consume three-quarters of all natural resources, but that can change By the year 2050, two thirds of us are expected to be living in cities, according to the United Nations. However, urban centres are suffering under the effects of our current, “takemake-waste� economy. This system has cities consuming more than 75% of all natural resources, producing more than half of all global waste, and emitting between 60% and 80% of global greenhouse gases. A circular economy would provide a way to rethink and reshape how we make and use the things we need, and enable us to explore new ways of ensuring long-term prosperity. The implementation of a circular economy in cities in particular could result in tremendous economic, social, and environmental benefits. It could foster the emergence of thriving cities where economic productivity increases through reduced congestion, eliminated waste, and reduced costs, and where new growth and business opportunities emerge to support broader skills development and employment gains. Cities can also become more liveable in this way, thanks to improved air quality and health, reduced carbon emissions and pollution, and healthier social interaction. A circular economy can also bolster urban resilience, by keeping more durable materials in use (thereby reducing pressure to tap into virgin materials), encouraging more cooperation with local producers, and prompting more shared use of digital technology. This will rely on changing the ways urban systems are planned, designed, and financed - and the ways that they are made, used, and repurposed. For example, buildings could be designed to be adaptable, modular, easier to maintain and made with materials that last longer. These materials could also be healthier for both people and the environment, easily and safely compostable, and reusable. Buildings can be designed from the outset without producing waste, though this will require methods like on-demand and on-site construction using 3D printing techniques. The sharing economy, enabled by emerging digital technologies, could thrive within circular economy cities and enable greater access to public spaces, products, and mobility, while reconnecting people to their neighbours and communities. Under this model, people will increasingly shift from owning things to sharing them via product-as-a-service contracts - which incentivize businesses to keep products in use for longer periods. Related insight areas: Ageing, Cities and Urbanization, Future of Economic Progress, Digital Economy and New Value Creation, Future of Food, Sustainable Development, 3D Printing, Plastics and the Environment, Agile Governance, Supply Chain and Transport, Youth Perspectives
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27 September 2020 The circular economy approach to sustainable economic development has in recent years gained traction and is now included in the European Union’s Green Deal committing the EU to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
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Scaling up circularity is vital to sustainability 29 September 2020 Speech prepared for delivery at the opening of the World Circular Economy Forum: Rebooting the economy with circular solutions. Firstly, let me thank the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra, in collaboration with the Canadian government and other partners, for keeping the conversation alive in these difficult times. The circular economy will be crucial to recovering better from the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the….
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Systems-Level Circular Change In order to eliminate wasteful practices, entire systems must be transformed from end to end Most materials are under-utilized and discarded after short periods - and efforts to fix this pattern often treat its symptoms, rather than its causes. A fundamental rethink of industrial systems is therefore urgently needed, underpinned by collective action and unprecedented collaboration among producers, retailers, and governments. When it comes to materials like plastics, textiles, or food, whole value chains need to be aligned around a common vision. High-level commitments, appropriate incentives, and action is needed from all those with a stake in the way materials cycle through an economy. In the textile industry, for example, if fashion brands and retailers can commit to a common garment collection scheme, the volume of materials recovered may justify related investments in technology and infrastructure. Collaboration among farmers, food brands, retailers, city governments and other urban food actors also needs to be implemented on a wide scale. Concerted efforts could help enable a shift to a system where all the food we eat is designed to be part of a regenerative cycle of food products and fertilizers.
Related insight areas: Plastics and the Environment, Agile Governance, Institutional Investors, Global Governance, Sustainable Development, Advanced Manufacturing and Production, Future of Food, Supply Chain and Transport, Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, Corporate Governance, The Great Reset, Green New Deals, Cities and Urbanization, Air Pollution, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Agriculture, Food and Beverage
Plastics in particular present a complex challenge that calls for a new approach. People around the world are responding to this challenge by changing the way they shop, what they eat, and how they live, and millions of dollars are being invested in removing plastic from oceans, rivers and streets. But all of this work will be for nothing if more plastic continues to be landfilled, burned, or otherwise seep into the environment. Businesses and governments need to work together to design ways to change how we produce, use, and reuse plastic. The Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source, launched in 2018 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, has garnered signatories that include companies representing a fifth of all plastic packaging produced globally - as well as governments, NGOs, universities, industry associations, investors, and other organizations. They have all committed to eliminating all problematic and unnecessary plastic items, to innovating to ensure that plastics we need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and to keeping plastic items in the economy and out of the environment.
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Latest knowledge United Nations Environment
Project Syndicate
Halving food waste and raising climate ambition: SDG 12.3 and the Paris Agreement
Making Sense of China’s New Plan 28 September 2020 From Made in China 2025 to the Belt and Road Initiative, the world has often misinterpreted pragmatic or strategic Chinese policies and projects as devious or destructive schemes. The same thing is happening today, in response to China's new Five-Year Plan.
30 September 2020 Food loss and waste generate an estimated 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions while using land and water resources needlessly and increasing pressure on biodiversity. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for a halving of food waste at retail and household level, and a reduction of food loss across the supply chain. Champions 12.3, a high-level coalition formed to deliver this strategic target, counts….
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
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World Economic Forum
How Germany and Costa Rica are putting nature at the heart of their recoveries
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30 September 2020 Here's how governments around the world can maximise the economic opportunities that lie in nature – as examples from Costa Rica and Germany demonstrate.
Rocky Mountain Institute
Four Lessons from RBG for the Climate Fight 24 September 2020
United Nations Environment
Every last bit: how Unilever is helping consumers say no to food waste
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero. The obituaries have focused on her legacy as a feminist icon, her singular determination, her deep humanity, and her profound common sense. These traits were exemplified by her famous dissents—equal parts restrained and biting— against... Read More The post Four Lessons from RBG for the Climate Fight appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
29 September 2020 An estimated one-third of food produced globally is lost or wasted from farm to table. This is about 1.3 billion tonnes of food – an amount that would occupy more land surface area than China and India combined. Instead of feeding people, it affects ecosystems and biodiversity, generating eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for a halving of food waste at the…. Project Syndicate
Climate Crunch Time 29 September 2020 In the 50 years since the first Earth Day, the environmental movement has matured and developed highly sophisticated methods for driving change. But, given the unprecedented scale of the climate crisis, the question is not whether activism is effective, but whether we still have time to save ourselves.
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Demographic and Demand Shifts Population growth, an expanding global middle class and urbanization are presenting challenges for food systems Demographic shifts are having a dramatic impact on global demand for food. The global population is expected to grow from 7.6 billion as of 2017 to 8.6 billion by 2030, and then to 9.8 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Most of this growth will occur in developing countries. In Africa, for example, the populations of 26 countries are projected to at least double in size between 2017 and 2050, according to the UN. Global food systems will need to be prepared to meet a significant increase in global food demand, while also providing for high-quality diets. Global urbanization is also affecting food demand. According to the UN’s World Urbanization Prospects report, the percentage of people living in urban areas will increase from 55% in 2018 to 68% by 2050 (in 1950, just 30% of the world’s population was urban). Of the 2.5 billion people projected to enter the urban population by 2050, nearly 90% of them will be in Asia and Africa. As societies become more urbanized, fewer people pursue farming, and lifestyles change; the share of resourceintensive food, which has a stronger environmental impact as it is produced, becomes more prevalent in people’s diets, and their calorie intake increases significantly. The rapidlygrowing middle class in developing markets is now ignoring previous staples as it consumes more processed foods, meat, fish, poultry, and dairy. In the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ 2012 working paper World Agriculture Towards 2030/2050, the authors argued that the combined impacts of a growing population and an exploding middle class could increase world food demand by 60% by 2050, compared with 2005/2007 levels. Some potential ways of addressing growing demand have been identified. Research published by the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment in 2013 found that only 55% of global crop calories were being consumed by humans, as 36% were being used for animal feed and 9% were being committed to biofuels and industrial uses. Growing more food exclusively for direct human consumption could increase available food calories by as much as 70%, and feed an additional 4 billion people, according to the study. Related insight areas: Ageing, Cities and Urbanization, China, Global Health, Youth Perspectives, Behavioural Sciences, India
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Latest knowledge RAND Corporation
SpringerOpen
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan
Increased microbial sequestration of soil organic carbon under nitrogen deposition over China’s terrestrial ecosystems
30 September 2020
29 September 2020 This report summarizes the strategic planning process in support of the government of Puerto Rico in its development of a congressionally mandated recovery plan.
China’s terrestrial ecosystems have been receiving increasing amounts of reactive nitrogen (N) over recent decades. External N inputs profoundly change microbially mediated soil carbon (C) dynamics, but how el...
Asian Development Bank
Flood risk and public health: An unlikely partnership in the fight against COVID-19
Frontiers
30 September 2020
29 September 2020
More Than Food: The Social Benefits of Localized Urban Food Systems
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented disruptions to the world. The disease itself and the containing measures brought societies and many public services to an abrupt halt. Flood risk management is, without exception, affected by such disruptions. Infrastructure development, planning and coordination, monitoring, and capacity building activities are all suspended. The public sector, on which flood risk management heavily relies, has been forced to redirect attention and resources to manage the pandemic, where they are needed most immediately.
Localized urban food systems are gaining attention from policy makers, planners, and advocates for benefits that go well beyond food production and consumption. Recognizing that agriculture, and food systems more broadly, provide multiple, integrated services, this study measures the social, educational, civic, and nutritional impacts of four common types of local food system activity in an urban setting. Specifically, we examine the outcomes of two common types of urban agricultural production (home gardens and community gardens) and two common types of direct markets (farmers' markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs or CSAs) through a survey of 424 gardeners and 450 direct market shoppers in California's San Francisco Bay Area.
International Crisis Group
Watch List 2020 – Autumn Update 30 September 2020
World Economic Forum
Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19
Every year Crisis Group publishes two additional Watch List updates that complement its annual Watch List for the EU, most recently published in January and May 2020. These publications identify major crises and conflict situations where the European Union and its member states can generate stronger prospects for peace. The Autumn Update of the Watch List 2020 includes entries on Afghanistan, Colombia, Kosovo-Serbia, Lebanon and Somalia.
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United Nations Environment
Youth band together to demand leaders take action #ForNature 29 September 2020 Today, a group of youth leaders presented a Manifesto and Open Letter during the Nature for Life Hub at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The initiative draws from a wide body of work by youth groups across the world and outlines 12 priorities of young people to be addressed to achieve the 2050 vision of “living in harmony with nature.” The effort is positioned as: By Youth. To World Leaders. #ForNature….
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Circular Business Models Opportunities abound to incentivize more product sharing, durability, and reuse Most of the materials we use, we lose - and most of the value created is lost after just a short time. Moving towards a more circular economy entails a radical shift in business models and value creation. Companies can play a major role in circular economy innovation, by leveraging their scale to drive circularity into the mainstream. Profitable circular economy business models and initiatives could inspire other well-known brands, and would likely then be progressively copied around the world. While the business models that support the shift to a circular economy will vary depending on the product or service in question, the key consideration for all players is whether the business is creating value through extraction and consumption, or through regeneration and restoration. Extending an item’s lifespan can be achieved through designing for durability; but in order to truly unlock greater value, these design strategies should be combined with other business model innovation related to maintenance, repair, the standardization of parts, disassembly, refurbishment, and remanufacturing. Business models that emphasize access over ownership, and selling performance rather than the product itself, can keep items in use for longer even as they are used more intensively. In this scenario, manufacturers increase profits through durability, reusability, and energy and water efficiency - and are therefore incentivized to design better products. These models can also benefit users, as paying for the service instead of owning the asset means they can enjoy the benefits without bearing responsibility for maintenance, repair, and disposal - all while accessing better quality, higher-performing products that might have otherwise been out of reach. While cars can be shared among multiple users on peer-to-peer platforms (as evidenced by car-sharing services like Zipcar), power tools can be made available by the hour from local libraries, and clothing can be rented as needed (the New York Public Library, for example, made ties and bags available for rental to job interviewees in need in 2018). The end result is that where manufacturers used to sell cars they are now selling mobility, and where retailers sold clothes they are now providing access. Related insight areas: Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, Aviation, Travel and Tourism, Behavioural Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Cities and Urbanization, Future of Mobility, Innovation, Inclusive Design, Fourth Industrial Revolution
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Latest knowledge United Nations Environment
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Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters
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29 September 2020 Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption gets lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes every year. This amounts to roughly US$680 billion in developed countries and US$310 billion in developing countries, with a carbon footprint of about 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to 8 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. Cutting food waste is one of the most effective ways to reduce….
Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea.
United Nations Environment
Food loss and waste must be reduced for greater food security and environmental sustainability 29 September 2020 Rome/Nairobi/New York , 29 September 2020 – At the global event marking today the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners urged everyone to do more to reduce food loss and waste or risk an even greater drop in food security and natural resources. Some 690 million people today are hungry and three….
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
An innovation policy to meet the EU’s Green Deal Circular Economy goals 25 September 2020 The shift towards a circular economy requires considerable political will. Fortunately, both the national and EU Covid-19 recovery packages offer a way to accelerate this shift. A dynamic and coordinated circular economy research and innovation approach across EU member states will form one pillar of this transition. Technical and societal challenges also demand economies of scale and impact. It is the mission of the Circular Economy Platform for the European Priorities Strategic Agenda ( CICERONE ) H2020 project to propose solutions to all these challenges. This paper is addressed to policymakers and presents the key policies and actions required to further develop, along with stakeholders, a roadmap for a successful European circular economy.
German Development Institute
The transition towards a green economy and its implications for quality infrastructure 29 September 2020 This study contributes to understanding the essential link between quality infrastructure (QI) and an effective transition towards a green economy. It explores green technologies diffusion in developing countries and what QI investments are needed to support, and benefit from, this green transition.
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
AU-EU partnership to promote sustainable energy transitions 25 September 2020 The EU Commission has made carbon neutrality its new flagship project. Cooperation on climate change is also becoming increasingly central in the EU’s partnership with African countries.
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Environmentally-Sustainable Consumerism China and India will soon be home to trillions of dollars in new consumption; making it sustainable is essential By 2027, about 65% of Chinese households will qualify as middle class, and annual consumption in the country is expected to reach $8.2 trillion - up from $4.3 trillion just a decade earlier - according to a report published by the World Economic Forum in 2018. Meanwhile annual consumer spending in India is expected to increase to $6 trillion by 2030 from $1.5 trillion in 2019, according to a separate Forum report. This increase will have a significant environmental impact, if it follows the path established by developed markets and involves vast conspicuous consumption and intensive resource use. Consumers everywhere need to be encouraged to help mitigate resource scarcity, combat climate change, curb plastics pollution, and eliminate food waste with their choices. In order to make this a reality, consumers need to be excited by the prospect of sustainability, and genuinely motivated to engage; too often, they may not see sustainability as relevant to their daily lives, or they may avoid more sustainable products often seen as relatively expensive or ineffective.
Related insight areas: Batteries, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, The Ocean, Climate Change, Chemical and Materials Industry, Supply Chain and Transport, Water, Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, Air Pollution, Sustainable Development, Circular Economy, Plastics and the Environment, Forests
Businesses must make sustainable choices more accessible and affordable, while redesigning product lines and increasing their portfolios of sustainable options. Sustainability-focused business models have been proven to have real value, and can be scaled up significantly. The sharing economy, for example, which generally provides access to things like cars and real estate rather than ownership, in the form of an Uber ride or an Airbnb stay, is a potential means to achieve more sustainable consumption by decreasing cars on the highway, for example, and related emissions (though serious questions have been raised about whether car-sharing services may actually aggravate issues like traffic congestion by encouraging people to avoid public transit). Another critical emerging business model is related to the “circular economy,� which involves minimizing waste by re-using materials rather than discarding them. Circular economy principles could help blunt the environmental impact of the consumer waste that will inevitably be generated by an expanding middle class, according to an article published by McKinsey in 2017. For example, old tires could be used as industrial fuel, according to the article, while applying liquid-chemical extraction to discarded electronics could multiply their value.
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Latest knowledge Project Syndicate
GreenBiz
Minding the Digital Economy’s Narrowing Gaps
The climate crisis needs climate leadership from businesses now
30 September 2020
29 September 2020
By collapsing physical distance, the digital economy has overcome one of the largest traditional hurdles to market formation and efficiency. But data-driven digital markets come with their own unique informational challenges, demanding further innovation not just by entrepreneurs but also by policymakers.
As the world grapples with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality and more, the impacts of climate change cannot be ignored. Most weeks bring fresh headlines of wildfires, droughts and rapidly melting ice caps. They’re a reminder that climate action cannot wait for calmer times. .
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How GDPR affects global markets for data
The Redistribution Games 28 September 2020
30 September 2020 Life is not the Olympics, where talent and training determine an athlete’s performance. It’s more like a Roman arena in which well-armed gladiators vanquish unarmed victims who lose not because they did not try hard enough, but because of the asymmetrical initial distribution of armor.
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation came into effect in 2018 to tackle issues of privacy and personal data. Looking at over 110,700 websites before and after the introduction of the regulation, this column examines its effect on non-EU-based websites and on other policy domains, such as competition or trade policy. Both EUbased and non-EU-based websites switched to more privacy-sensitive technologies following GDPR, but only in the short term. The market for web tracking technologies became more concentrated, with Google gaining the most market share among large providers. Privacy regulations can function as nonpecuniary barriers to trade, especially if enacted by a large economic area.
Observer Research Foundation
Africa and COVID19: Impact, Response, and Challenges to Recovery 28 September 2020 Abstract The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years.
Project Syndicate
The Internal Combustion Bust 29 September 2020 With or without a catastrophic pandemic and global recession, the trend in motorized transportation has long been shifting toward zero-carbon technologies. But the strategies that governments and industries adopt in the next few years will be decisive for humanity's longterm success in managing climate change. Asia Global Institute
Asian Politics Needs a Youthful Disruption 29 September 2020 For the most part, politics in Asia is an old man’s game, with elderly statesmen making the same old speeches urging hard work and patriotism. That augurs poorly for a future in which artificial intelligence and robotics are reshaping the future of work and a global pandemic has put a stop to progress across the region. What is urgently needed, argues Vasuki Shastry of Chatham House, is a mentorship program to develop and guide the next generation of Asian leaders.
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Accelerating Sustainability Sustainable production is becoming a competitive advantage Making production systems responsible for significant carbon dioxide emissions more sustainable is critical for fighting climate change, and for ensuring the right kind of future economic growth. The circular economy, or an economy designed around production and consumption that produce zero waste through reuse and recycling, provides a model that can help the manufacturing sector contribute to broader global sustainability. Examples of production that have employed circular economy practices include the construction of facilities for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London that were designed for deconstruction and later use (in addition to the use of leftover gas pipelines in the Olympic stadium’s structure), according to a report published by the think tank CEPS in 2017. Related technology advancements and further organizational innovation could boost resource productivity - the amount of value that can be wrung from a single resource - and create new economic value. Leaders of governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations all must play a role in making this shift to circular principles happen, particularly in light of the current rate of climate change.
Related insight areas: Supply Chain and Transport, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Advanced Materials, Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, Forests, Air Pollution, Green New Deals, Agriculture, Food and Beverage, Sustainable Development, Circular Economy, Climate Change, Batteries
About half of the world’s energy consumption and 20% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the manufacturing sector; more sustainable production has to become the global standard as soon as possible. Businesses can nudge consumers towards sustainable consumption by selling more durable products, while policy-makers can implement rules that reduce the price of those products and levy taxes on goods made at facilities with large carbon footprints. Meanwhile public procurement policies can help by requiring a minimum amount of re-purposed raw material in purchases. In addition, providing a standard way for companies to report sustainable activities could help them gauge their effectiveness, and regulations encouraging the use of sustainable products (like allowing electric cars to use bus lanes) can help increase demand. Production requires a sufficient number of manufacturers and consumers willing and able to use recycled materials, and the Accelerating Sustainable Production project run by the World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing and Production Platform serves as a guide for optimizing the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in production - helping countries and businesses achieve sustainable growth and contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
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Latest knowledge RAND Corporation
VoxEU
Building Back Locally
Google/Fitbit will monetise health data and harm consumers
30 September 2020
30 September 2020 In Puerto Rico's post-hurricane reconstruction, municipal governments face significant responsibility. The authors recommend ways to target government and other resources where they are needed most to help municipal reconstruction efforts.
The European Commission is conducting an in-depth investigation of the Google/Fitbit deal. A static, conventional view would suggest limited issues from a merger of complements. Yet, as this column outlines, unprecedented concerns arise when one sees that allowing for Fitbit’s data gathering capabilities to be put in Google’s hands creates major risks of “platform envelopment,” extension of monopoly power and consumer exploitation. The combination of Fitbit’s health data with Google’s other data creates unique opportunities for discrimination and exploitation of consumers in healthcare, health insurance and other sensitive areas, with major implications for privacy too. We also need to worry about incentives to pre-empt competition that could threaten Google’s data collection dominance.
World Economic Forum
How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises 30 September 2020 The health crisis is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of overlooking biophysical risks on human wellbeing, businesses and economies. Asian Development Bank
Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model
Center for International Forestry Research
Non-state certification of smallholders for sustainable palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia
30 September 2020 ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE UNITED STATES– PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TRADE DISPUTE USING A MULTIREGIONAL COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM MODEL Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham 620 September 2020 ADB ECONOMICS WORKING PAPER SERIES ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ADB Economics Working Paper Series Assessing the Impact of the United States– People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham No. 620 | September 2020 Elisabetta Gentile (egentile@adb.org) is an economist in the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), Asian Development Bank (ADB). Gen Li (li.gen@nies.go.jp) is a research assistant at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan.
28 September 2020 Rapid expansion of oil palm plantations is one of the leading causes of Indonesia’s continued deforestation over the past decades. To reverse this trend against the wave of increasing global demand for palm oil, non-state certification programs, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), have been promoted to ensure sustainable palm oil production. However, limited empirical studies exist for understanding how RSPO is perceived and practiced by various stakeholders along the palm oil supply chain, especially at the source by smallscale farmers. We surveyed 181 certified independent smallholders in two sites in Jambi, Sumatra to understand: (1) the challenges and benefits of participating in RSPO; (2) the willingness of independent smallholders to continue their participation; and 3) the factors affecting their willingness. Peterson Institute for International Economics
How Trump's export curbs on semiconductors and equipment hurt the US technology sector 28 September 2020 President Donald Trump’s much-touted “phase one” trade agreement with China is falling well short of its goal. Under the deal, Trump pledged that China would purchase an additional $200 billion of US exports over 2020 and 2021.
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Mobilizing Action, Making Societies Inclusive The Fourth Industrial Revolution does not have to create the type of inequality wrought by the first The twin forces of globalization and technology development are transforming families, work, and entire economies - and not always for the better. In both advanced and emerging economies, decelerating economic growth, industry disruption, rising inequality, and broken social contracts are threatening livelihoods and creating unrest. According the United Nations Human Development Report published in 2019, the demonstrations sweeping across the world at that point signalled that - despite the unprecedented progress that had been made in fighting poverty, hunger, and disease - many societies were not working as they should. Instead, according to the report, a common characteristic shared by many of these protest hot spots was rampant inequality. In countries including Hong Kong SAR, Lebanon, Chile, Spain, Iran, and Iraq, the causes that had brought marchers flooding into the streets included the high cost of a train ticket, the rising price of petrol, the undermining of political freedoms, and the fundamental pursuit of justice. The report also outlined a stark divide that cut across gender lines, with labour force participation rates far lower for women than for men, and unemployment rates that were far higher for women than those for men.
Related insight areas: Taxation, Future of Media, Entertainment and Culture, The Ocean, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Global Governance, Social Innovation, Civic Participation, Gender Parity, LGBTI Inclusion
One potential means to stem rising inequality identified by the UN Human Development Program is to broadly share the benefits of technology development - and ensure that the Fourth Industrial Revolution does not create the same kind of divergence between developed and developing countries wrought by the original industrial revolution. There has never been a better or more necessary time to mobilize technology to unleash human potential and tackle some of our most daunting challenges, while providing greater opportunity. In an address delivered in early 2020, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries, income and wealth inequality had reached record highs (in the United Kingdom, for example, the top 10% of earners now control as much wealth as the bottom 50%). Fintech, or financial technology, according Georgieva, can play a role in addressing such inequality - particularly in developing countries - by providing more people with banking services. According to the IMF, there is as much as a threepercentage-point advantage when it comes to GDP growth for financially-inclusive countries relative to their lessinclusive peers.
16 SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge Oxford Review of Economic Policy
Rocky Mountain Institute
COVID-19 and public-sector capacity
Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants
02 October 2020
30 September 2020
The paper argues that to govern a pandemic, governments require dynamic capabilities and capacity— too often missing. These include capacity to adapt and learn; capacity to align public services and citizen needs; capacity to govern resilient production systems; and capacity to govern data and digital platforms.
While COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of the economy and daily life in 2020, the trend toward clean electricity is still going strong. Renewable energy and storage technology costs continue to fall, with expanding adoption by utilities and other investors,... Read More The post Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
In Depth News
In Quest of Data-Based Solutions for A Sustainable Future
Project Syndicate
01 October 2020
30 September 2020
The No DICE Carbon Price If there is a single issue that matters more than any other in the broader debate about climate change, it is how to price carbon dioxide emissions. The battle against catastrophic global warming will have already been lost if those advocating a low figure come out on top.
More than 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will discuss in the first-ever fully virtual UN World Data Forum, from October 19-21, some of the greatest data challenges in our fast-changing world. They will identify innovative solutions to intensify cooperation on data for sustainable development. Renew the urgent call for more and better funding for data. “In a world wracked by COVID-19, we need data-based solutions to guide our way to a sustainable future,” said Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director of UN DESA’s Statistics Division.
World Resources Institute
4 Questions About China's New Climate Commitments 30 September 2020
World Economic Forum
President Xi Jinping's announcement at the UN that China intends to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060 is one of the most significant signs of progress on tackling climate change since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Here are answers to four key questions about it.
Why improving women's lives is the key to healthy ageing 01 October 2020 Older women are more exposed to social isolation and economic exclusion – but this can be changed earlier in their lives. United Nations Environment
Historic UN Summit on Biodiversity sets stage for a global movement toward a green recovery from COVID19 01 October 2020 New York, 30 September 2020 — Recognizing that the continued deterioration and degradation of the world’s natural ecosystems were having major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere, world leaders called for increased resolve to protect biodiversity at the UN today. A record number of countries - nearly 150 countries and 72 Heads of State and Government addressed the first ever Summit held on….
17 SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Briefing, October 2020
References 1. A Circular Economy in Cities
5. Environmentally-Sustainable Consumerism
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Minding the Digital Economy’s Narrowing Gaps, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org How GDPR affects global markets for data, VoxEU, voxeu.org
The future is circular: what biodiversity really means, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Can Europe’s Green Deal be a growth strategy?, LSE Business Review, blogs.lse.ac.uk Scaling up circularity is vital to sustainability, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org The circular economy: Including Africa in Europe’s circle, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za Accelerating green energy transition in Africa through regional integration, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za This is how we can get real value from infrastructure, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org
The Internal Combustion Bust, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org Asian Politics Needs a Youthful Disruption, Asia Global Institute, www.asiaglobalonline.hku.hk The climate crisis needs climate leadership from businesses now, GreenBiz, www.greenbiz.com The Redistribution Games, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org Africa and COVID19: Impact, Response, and Challenges to Recovery, Observer Research Foundation, www.orfonline.org
6. Accelerating Sustainability
2. Systems-Level Circular Change
Building Back Locally, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org Halving food waste and raising climate ambition: SDG 12.3 and the Paris Agreement, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org How Germany and Costa Rica are putting nature at the heart of their recoveries, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Every last bit: how Unilever is helping consumers say no to food waste, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Climate Crunch Time, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org
How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org Google/Fitbit will monetise health data and harm consumers, VoxEU, voxeu.org Non-state certification of smallholders for sustainable palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia, Center for International Forestry Research, www.cifor.org How Trump's export curbs on semiconductors and equipment hurt the US technology sector, Peterson Institute for International Economics, www.piie.com
Making Sense of China’s New Plan, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org Building resilience in Africa: Enabling an inclusive digital economy and energy access for all, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za Four Lessons from RBG for the Climate Fight, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org
7. Mobilizing Action, Making Societies Inclusive
3. Demographic and Demand Shifts
COVID-19 and public-sector capacity, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, academic.oup.com In Quest of Data-Based Solutions for A Sustainable Future, In Depth News, www.indepthnews.net Why improving women's lives is the key to healthy ageing, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Historic UN Summit on Biodiversity sets stage for a global movement toward a green recovery from COVID-19, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org Flood risk and public health: An unlikely partnership in the fight against COVID-19, Asian Development Bank, blogs.adb.org Watch List 2020 – Autumn Update, International Crisis Group, www.crisisgroup.org Youth band together to demand leaders take action #ForNature, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Increased microbial sequestration of soil organic carbon under nitrogen deposition over China’s terrestrial ecosystems, SpringerOpen, ecologicalprocesses.springeropen.com More Than Food: The Social Benefits of Localized Urban Food Systems, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org
The No DICE Carbon Price, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org 4 Questions About China's New Climate Commitments, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org
Acknowledgements Cover and selected images throughout supplied by Reuters.
4. Circular Business Models No time to waste: using data to drive down food waste, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org Food loss and waste must be reduced for greater food security and environmental sustainability, United Nations Environment, www.unenvironment.org The transition towards a green economy and its implications for quality infrastructure, German Development Institute, www.die-gdi.de Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters, Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org An innovation policy to meet the EU’s Green Deal Circular Economy goals, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), www.ceps.eu AU-EU partnership to promote sustainable energy transitions, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za
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SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Briefing, October 2020
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