Electric-vehicle maker Tesla rolled out a new program globally allowing buyers to earn extra incentives through referrals from existing customers, a strategy long used by traditional automakers to boost sales. The incentive, which Tesla dubbed as “Refer and Earn” on its websites, is equivalent to about $500 in cashback for buyers in the U.S. who purchase […]
To date, climate change policy actions have primarily been considered from technical and financing perspectives. To make change happen, governance aspects also matter – institutional capabilities, accountability, as well as political economy constraints. This blog is part of a new workstream on political economy challenges and potential avenues for addressing them – with a focus […]
Rapid socioeconomic development and population growth are escalating groundwater overexploitation, creating a potential crisis in Asia and the Pacific. Demand for groundwater has increased steadily in Asia and the Pacific in recent decades, driven by rapid socioeconomic development and population growth. Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, the People’s Republic of China, and Türkiye today account […]
Every child should have access to a high-quality classroom learning experience that is joyous, transformative, and prepares them for life. That is not happening. The pandemic exacerbated the global learning crisis, and an estimated 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot even read a simple text by age 10. The need to recover […]
Last year saw a rebound in migration flows following a pandemic-induced decline in 2020-21. Today, an estimated 184 million migrants live outside the country of their citizenship. Of this total, refugees number 37 million, including the 7.8 million Ukrainians who have been seeking shelter in the EU since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Cross-border […]
The insurance sector can be a game-changer by managing risks from climate change in Asia and the Pacific, protecting ecosystems, and supporting the shift towards a sustainable future. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Asia and the Pacific produces about half of global greenhouse gas emissions. If no action on climate change is taken, […]
A sandy corner of South-Eastern Morocco hosts what could be the key to achieving the world’s net zero ambitions. It is a research center for renewable energy storage built by Masen, the Moroccan Sustainable Energy Agency, that conducts research and testing on new ways to create and store solar energy. The World Bank’s ESMAP has joined several innovative […]
Inflation in Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies has declined, but the fight may not be over. Underlying price pressures remain persistent, even as growth is weighed down by continued global headwinds. Policymakers can however put in place reforms to promote a low-inflation environment. The beginning of 2023 has brought some good news on inflation […]
The battery arm of Japan’s Panasonic will need to build four more factories to reach its target for a sharp boost in annual capacity of batteries for electric vehicles by 2031, its technology chief told Reuters. The comments by Shoichiro Watanabe of Panasonic Energy are the Tesla supplier’s first clear indication of the number of additional factories […]
Apple Inc became the first company in the world to reach a market value of $3 trillion, buoyed by hopes over its expansion in new markets coupled with expectations of a more moderate approach to interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The iPhone maker’s advance was among the most eye catching in a month marked by investor […]
