World Economic Forum - Davos 2023

Trade, tech and tackling the climate crisis were just some of the topics under discussion this week in Davos.  We've also heard from global leaders on Ukraine, the economy and health.  Here's a snapshot of what you might have missed this week at Davos 2023.

That's it for our 53rd Annual Meeting in Davos. We've covered a huge range of topics and themes at a difficult time for the global community as it faces a series of interlinked crises - as this year's Global Risks Report explained, a polycrisis.


It's against this backdrop that leaders met under the theme 'Cooperation in a Fragmented World'. And this call for cooperation echoed across speakers, sessions and topics.


As World Economic Forum President Børge Brende told us in his closing remarks, "In an uncertain and challenging time, one thing is clear. We can shape a more resilient, sustainable and equitable future, but the only way to do so is together."

Call for unity and collaboration
"There are no perfect solutions in a perfect storm," António Guterres stressed on Wednesday. "But we can work to control the damage and seize opportunities.  Now more than ever, it’s time to forge the pathways to cooperation in our fragmented world."  

The scale of the challenge, the sense of urgency, and the importance of collaboration was a thread that linked all the discussions this week, whether on Ukraine, the climate crises, supply chains, technology and innovation, health, the economy and so much more.

Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine urged world leaders to use their influence to bring an end to Russian aggression. She also stressed the ongoing human impact of the war.

Her husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, addressed Davos via video link. He also called for decisive action from world leaders, following a minute's silence after the helicopter crash earlier that day.  READ MORE...

Best Cities In Which To Retire

Living on a fixed income during retirement doesn’t mean you have to miss out on any opportunities to have a fulfilling retirement. While it might seem difficult to find a place to retire that is affordable and also checks off all your boxes in terms of climate and social life, there are several cities that have it all.

To help you find a place to retire that fits your economic and lifestyle needs, GOBankingRates has created a list of the best places to retire for $2,000 a month that are not only affordable but also feature warm weather and sunny skies.

12. Pittsburgh
Total Monthly Expenditures: $1,776.08
Livability score: 75

In Pittsburgh, retirees can rent a one-bedroom apartment for the cost of $990.40 per month. The city features a monthly grocery average of $415.95, and monthly healthcare falls on the lower end at $369.72. Those looking for social opportunities during retirement might want to consider this city, as 20% of the population is 65 and older.

11. Temple, Texas
Total Monthly Expenditures: $1,794.41
Livability score: 75

Temple is a great option for retirees looking for a warm and sunny climate, as the average temperature high for the city falls at 78 F and the average low at 55 F. Temple’s monthly rent falls at $971.40 and grocery costs for this city average $401.95 per month.

10. Roanoke, Virginia
Total Monthly Expenditures: $1,750.60
Livability score: 75

Roanoke is a great place for social butterflies as 20% of the city’s population is 65 and older. The city’s rent falls at $887 per month and the monthly grocery costs fall in the middle of the pack at $392.07.

9. Longview, Texas
Total Monthly Expenditures: $1,684.45
Livability score: 78

In Longview, retirees can expect to save the most on groceries as the average monthly cost falls at $378.89 — the cheapest out of the cities on this list. The rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Longview falls at $877.60 and monthly healthcare falls in the middle at $427.97. The weather is nice too with an average high of 77 F.

8. Huntsville, Alabama
Total Monthly Expenditures: $1,703.78
Livability score: 79

Retirees in Huntsville can rent a one-bedroom apartment for an average cost of $855 per month. The grocery bill for this city falls in the middle at $395.36, with monthly healthcare costing $453.42. The average low here is only 51 F.   TO DISCOVER THESE OTHER CITIES...  CLICK HERE...

Macro Trends 2020-2030

We outline 12 macrotrends set to shape the 2020s. These represent major shifts in the demographic, environmental, economic, technological, political and cultural landscapes that can be foreseen with a relatively high degree of certainty, though their implications are often more uncertain or ambiguous. We then focus in on a subset of the macrotrends to explore this ambiguity and suggest how the global business community might seek to influence the way these trends play out in order to accelerate progress on Vision 2050. Crucially, too, all the macrotrends are interconnected: how they interact with one another is central to how the next decade will play out. We explore some of these interconnections briefly in the introduction to each landscape.

Macrotrends emerging over the next decade: 

DEMOGRAPHICS 

1. GENERATIONAL HANDOVER Political, economic, cultural & innovation power is shifting. 

2. POPULATION GROWTH IN ASIA & AFRICA Sustaining geopolitical shifts and straining scarce resources. ENVIRONMENT 

3. WORSENING CLIMATE IMPACTS More frequent and more severe weather becomes harder to ignore. 

4. LOCAL POLLUTION, DEGRADATION & SCARCITY CREATE IMPETUS FOR INNOVATION Loss, suffering, instability, displacement & innovation. 

ECONOMY 

5. SHORT-TERM CRISIS, LONG-TERM SLOWDOWN Under-investment, low productivity, weak demand and COVID-19. 

6. PEAK GLOBALIZATION & THE RISE OF ASIA Rival blocs form as economic and political power pivots. 

TECHNOLOGY 

7. AUTOMATION IMPACTS EVERY INDUSTRY & COUNTRY Automation changes lives, industries and economies. 

8. DATAFICATION, FOR BETTER & WORSE Smarter, more efficient, more surveilled – massive efficiency and productivity gains come at a price. 

POLITICS 

9. POLARIZATION & RADICALISM ON THE RISE High levels of dissatisfaction create appetite for radical alternatives 

10. GEOPOLITICAL INSTABILITY Weakened multilateralism and nations in decline – the incentives for stability slowly fade away. 

CULTURE 

11. POST-MATERIALISM: ATTITUDES AND LIFESTYLES DIVERGE Changing aspirations are helping on-demand service models to spread globally. 

12. CULTURE WARS ESCALATE Cultural clashes (youngold, rural-urban, rich-poor) contribute to polarization.

We propose 10 “wildcard” disruptions that could plausibly materialize during the 2020s, resulting in significant impact. Indeed some of them already have, with impacts still snowballing. However, the wildcards are not all negative – they simply have the potential to significant disrupt the landscape that business operates in. The macrotrends and disruptions are deliberately not presented as risks and opportunities. Every risk contains the seed of an opportunity within it – and every opportunity the seed of a new risk. What matters is how we respond to and influence the dynamics of the world around us.

Potential “wild card” Disruptions

1. FINANCIAL CRISIS How much will COVID19 cost, and how will we pay when the next crisis comes? 
2. GLOBAL PANDEMIC No country is fully prepared to handle a pandemic, and neither are any economies. 
3. MAJOR CONFLICT Cyber attacks, e.g. on critical infrastructure will touch all ordinary citizens in a conflict.
4. AN ECONOMIC “SINGULARITY” What happens when new jobs can’t be created where jobs have been destroyed?
5. POPULAR REVOLTS & REGIME CHANGE Inequality will continue to rise making more frequent and severe protest likely.
6. A CLIMATE “MINSKY MOMENT” Costs, disclosures, social pressures all reorient financial flows – but how fast?
7. ENERGY TRANSITION TIPPING POINT Market forces lead to fossil fuel demand peaking and the energy transition accelerates.
8. BIOTECH BOOM Disruption comes to food, health and materials as biotech’s potential emerges. 
9. GLOBAL GREEN (NEW) DEAL Citizens embrace the chance to improve jobs, communities and environments.
10. SOCIETAL “TECHLASH” Society sours on the costs of free tech, treasuries tire of lost taxes and competition.

TO READ MORE ABOUT THESE MEGATRENDS, CLICK HERE...

Japan's Blue Hydrogen

Activists looking out over Tokyo Bay at a new coal-fired power station under construction


It's a glorious autumn afternoon and I'm standing on a hillside looking out over Tokyo Bay. Beside me is Takao Saiki, a usually mild-mannered gentleman in his 70s.  But today Saiki-San is angry.  "It's a total joke," he says, in perfect English. "Just ridiculous!"

The cause of his distress is a giant construction site blocking our view across the bay - a 1.3-gigawatt coal-fired power station in the making.


"I don't understand why we still have to burn coal to generate electricity," says Saiki-San's friend, Rikuro Suzuki. "This plant alone will emit more than seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year!"


Suzuki-San's point is a good one. Shouldn't Japan be cutting its coal consumption, not increasing it, at a time of great concern about coal's impact on the climate?  So why the coal? The answer is the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.


In 2010 about one third of Japan's electricity came from nuclear power, and there were plans to build a lot more. But then the 2011 disaster hit, and all Japan's nuclear power plants were shut down. Ten years later most remain closed - and there is a lot of resistance to restarting them.  READ MORE...