General Interest

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of connectivity, but also highlighted a growing digital divide – 3.6 billion people lack even the most basic internet access. Governments are increasingly recognizing the need to improve internet access for all citizens, particularly …

Smartphones could have an important role to play in development. A recent World Bank webinar explored experimental evidence from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Testing and scaling of smartphone interventions in development are vital to maximise their potential impact. Almost …

The Forum’s Responsible Use of Technology project has been underway for more than two years. Based on its work to-date, here are three predictions for the future of responsible technology. They include responsible investing, targeted regulations and incorporating tech ethics into higher …

Fish and seafood as a food source are often overlooked for environmental reasons. However, new research known as the ‘Blue Food Assessment’ has shown that these could help to us to simultaneously meet the challenges of climate change and food …

Innovative ways to purify water that rely on tech and accessible materials are key given more than half the world’s population could suffer from a lack of potable water by 2032. The most efficient and effective way to develop those …

As the world prepares to discuss more aggressive cuts to carbon emissions at the UN’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, China has just sent out the worst possible advance signal. It is going to loosen restrictions on coal mining in …

55 small, four-wheeled autonomous mobile robots have been introduced to sort through mail in Greece’s postal service. They scan the postal code, weigh the package and, directed by sensors, empty it into the corresponding mail sacks. The robots can handle …

Just 5% of employed people in the UK worked from home in 2019. The onset of the pandemic and the overnight shuttering of offices during the first lockdown meant 47% of employees were doing the same in April 2020. Although …

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – or “digital highways” – are online platforms or solutions that deliver shared public and private services. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how DPIs can help ensure people everywhere receive vital services, but it has also …

The rapid growth of the solar energy industry seen in recent years is expected to continue. Solar is now one of the cheapest power sources available globally, but its long-term sustainability has been threatened by allegations of forced labour and …

Developed nations must support a clean energy transition in emerging economies. Tackling climate change for the planet depends upon it. For the developing world, climate action represents just one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals alongside poverty, hunger, health, …

AI can be a powerful tool to combat climate change, but its role also as a contributor to emissions cannot be overlooked. The first step to make AI greener is to promote the practice of more holistic and multidimensional model …