Sustainable Growth Newswire
EPF compiles a selection of policy oriented-research from around the globe pertaining to its policy initiatives. To receive a weekly email of the newswire, please subscribe to our newsletter
Artificial Intelligence and the Future for Smart Homes
Population growth and urbanisation in emerging markets will mean expanding cities and rising demand for new housing in urban areas around the world. These trends represent an enormous opportunity to design, build, and operate the homes of tomorrow in intelligent ways that minimise energy consumption and carbon emissions, lower building and homeowner costs, and raise home values. Artificial intelligence will play a pivotal role in this effort by using data—including grid data, smart meter data, weather data, and energy use information—to…
Climate Finance Fundamentals 10: Gender and Climate Finance
Women form the majority of the world’s 2.1 billion people still living in poverty increasingly understood as multidimensional and of the 736 million in abject poverty with less than USD 2 a day, most of them in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. They are also the majority of the just under one billion people without access to electricity and the 2.7 billion without clean cooking facilities. While important advances in existing climate funds have been made, new best practices for gender-responsiveness…
New Toolkit to Help Countries Switch to Climate-Smart Urbanisation
The United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with several United Nations entities, have developed a law and climate change toolkit to promote climate-smart urbanisation. United Nations Environment Programme | New Toolkit to Help Countries Switch to Climate-Smart Urbanisation
ASEAN Sustainable Finance: A Huge Gap Means a Huge Opportunity
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals represent our best hope of tackling the most serious challenges facing our societies and our planet. At the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the imminent need to tackle climate change and sustainability issues dominated discussions across all sectors with public, private and non-governmental organization stakeholders. However, governments and NGOs alone cannot provide the investment required to meet the 2030 targets. The private sector has a critical role to play in achieving…
Shooting for the Moon: An Agenda to Bridge Africa’s Digital Divide
Africa needs a digital transformation for faster economic growth and job creation. The World Bank estimates that reaching the African Union’s goal of universal and affordable internet coverage will increase GDP growth in Africa by 2 percentage points per year. Also, the probability of employment—regardless of education level—increases by 6.9 to 13.2 percent when fast internet becomes available, as it facilitates firm entry and boosts productivity and exports. As such, digital technologies offer a unique opportunity for African countries to significantly transform various sectors…
Sustainable Investing: Shaping the Future of Finance
Sustainable investing has come a long way. It was not long ago when this new way of investing was still considered to be niche, at times confused with philanthropy. Over the years, financial market participants have gained a better understanding of the value proposition of incorporating ESG considerations in asset allocations and recognised the potential in the increasing client demand for values-based investing. International Institute for Sustainable Debelopment | Sustainable Investing: Shaping the Future of Finance
Digital Tech in Solar Sector Will Be Big Help to Emerging Countries
New technologies that revolutionise online payments or the tracking of digital information are set to drive more solar power installations in emerging markets in Africa and Asia, according to a new report by an international renewable energy association. Business Day | Digital Tech in Solar Sector Will Be Big Help to Emerging Countries
How to Hasten the Energy Transition in the Developing World
Emerging economies are expected to experience the highest growth in energy demand in the coming decades, mostly because they are starting from a low or modest base. This means their future energy trajectories must be at an intersection of inclusive, affordable and sustainable growth. However, for all the potential that advanced energy technologies offer for speeding up the energy transition, their application in developing countries will not be the same as in developed regions. World Economic Forum | How to Hasten…