Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England recently gave a speech at Lloyd’s of London. His focus was on informing those in the business of business that although many are far-sighted and understand the impacts climate change will have on international monetary balances, there isn’t much in place to ensure that plans are being executed at the rate required to respond to future imperatives.
Evidence for Democracy is partnering with the Science Integrity Project, both of which are concerned that many public policy decisions made in Canada—and in its cities, provinces and territories—are not derived from the best available evidence, from research and indigenous knowledge. They have been working on “developing a set of principles to protect and promote evidence-based decision making in Canada”.
There is a long and storied history behind the actions of pop stars and their ability to affect society at large with their various beliefs, endorsements and endeavors. One Direction, perhaps best known for their legions of adoring teenage (and not-so-teenaged) fans, recently put together quite the movement, putting them squarely into the “good influence” category, as celebrities go.
Uber and AirBNB are very popular services, but face serious opposition from the traditional hotel and taxi service industries, and in some cities, attacks have happened on Uber drivers (in Ottawa). We need new solutions on how best to ensure the new 'sharing economy' co-exists with more traditional business models. Services like those mentioned above are not without their own brand of quirks, but essentially they provide a more direct business model, giving everyone involved a more autonomous approach to choosing the type of service that’s right for them.
Once again, France is finding viable ways to ‘change the rules’ of the game to transition to more sustainable community development. Their newest move sees them passing legislation that will require all unused and unsold retail food items be donated to charity. This simultaneously addresses the issues of food waste, and hunger amongst the more economically disadvantaged members of society.
An oil spill is a devastating occurrence, ecologically first and foremost, but also socially and economically. Soil contamination from landlocked spills presents quite the challenge when it comes time for remediation, but bigger still is the issue of how best to clean up oceans, lakes and rivers. One very simple design could go a long way towards addressing how to clean up spills. Check out this new technology, a mix of simple design and incredible scalability.
This commentary from the Toronto Star does a good job of attempting to answer the question: Who should be leading the way when it comes to implementing, and recognizing the need for, a living wage? It argues that the provincial minimum wage (which currently sits at $11/h) is not even two thirds of what the cost of living in the city of Toronto requires to maintain financial independence and autonomy for a family of four with working parents.
Read this amazing article about a business leader, Dan Price, addressing income equity with his employees after learning that for people earning less than $70,000, extra money makes a big difference in their lives.
Efficient storage of electricity, especially from renewable sources, is the holy grail of the energy industry. And Elon Musk could have a gamechanger up his sleeve. Business leaders such as Musk are crticial to making the world a better place. We have enough information, we have enough science, we have the potential technologies to achieve more sustainable futures now, to move to a carbon neutral economy by 2050.
As a visual learner, I understand data better when it is shown in an excellent visual. Click here to see interesting visuals--MacDonald's Access around the World, Global Internet Usage based on Time of Day, Map of Alcohol Consumption around the World, and Drink Popularity. I don't think I will reveal anything else about my own tastes, check it out for yourself.