The use of artificial intelligence in the private sector is accelerating, and the financial authorities have no choice but to follow if they are to remain effective. Even when preferring prudence, their use of AI will probably grow by stealth. This column argues that although AI will bring considerable benefits, it also raises new challenges […]
The induced transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy can affect firm investment through powerful anticipation effects. This column uses a firm-level measure of climate policy exposure to show that climate policies have already led to a 6.5% decline in global investment by publicly traded oil and gas companies between 2015 and 2019. The findings […]
Emerging markets will need increasing amounts of foreign private capital to finance their climate transition. This column explores the specific role of investment funds in financing green companies in emerging markets. It argues that despite the recent boom in ‘sustainable’ investing, only a tiny part of this reaches green companies in these markets. The barriers […]
We need water for every aspect of our economic and social development. How we manage water resources affects whether poor girls are educated, whether cities are healthy places to live, and whether growing industries or rural villages can withstand the impacts of floods or droughts. Continuing population growth, urbanization, climate change, and economic development are all […]
In 2021, the Nile Basin Discourse (NBD) program, with the support of the CIWA Program, empowered women and youth to become resilient Climate Change Champions. This training had a major positive effect on the lives of its participants, as exemplified by the story of Asia Namusoke. Asia found her training inspiring, prompting her to create […]
Between 18 to 20 million people join the working-age population in South Asia, every year, but only a third to a half of them will be employed. While the region is now the fastest growing in the world, too few of its people are engaged in or benefit from productive activities. So, what needs to […]
A year later, the flood water has receded, but the impacts still loom large. The numbers are staggering – over 33 million people affected, 8 million displaced, 2 million homes destroyed. The floods have been described as a climate catastrophe, submerging nearly a third of the country underwater. For many communities in Pakistan, the devastating […]
Picture yourself in 1989, right before the creation of the World Wide Web. Imagine that you knew, before anyone else, the impact that the Internet was going to have. What skills would you say were the most important to teach to the ‘new generation’? This is not an easy question to answer. In many cases, […]
New energy-saving technologies offer South Asian countries an opportunity to modernize their economies, and will be an integral part of their energy transition. The energy intensity of output of South Asian economies is almost twice the global average—despite a decline over the past decade that is largely attributable to firm-level, within-sector cuts in energy intensity. While […]
With 2023 set to be the warmest year since records began in the mid-1800s, the transition to a decarbonized economy has become an urgent priority globally. Yet, despite increasing efforts by many countries to limit emissions, the combined climate commitments pledges could only bring us closer to limiting the global temperature rise to 2.5 degrees Celsius […]
