2021 in review: the global news stories of the year

Mining is an industry that many of us probably rarely think about, but one that provides the raw materials for so many of the things we use, not least the modern technologies such as smart phones and electric vehicles that require certain minerals that are not always in abundant supply. The International Energy Agency predicts that the demand for minerals will double by 2040. So how can we meet that demand in the most energy efficient and sustainable way? UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum, is inviting entrepreneurs who have answers to that question to take part in its Sustainable Mining Challenge - a competition that aims to pick the most promising startups in the field. On this episode we speak to Vivek Salgaocar, the founder of Prospect Innovation, which is the leading funder and business partner of the Sustainable Mining Challenge, and to Megan O'Connor, CEO and Co-founder of Nth Cycle, a company which is innovating in ways to better recycle mining waste. This podcast is published around the World Economic Forum's Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development. Find more information at wef.ch/specialmeeting24 and across social media using the hashtag #specialmeeting24. Links: UpLink Mining Challenge: https://uplink.weforum.org/uplink/s/uplink-issue/a00TE000001FQLNYA4/sustainable-mining-challenge Related podcasts: UN Water Conference: the entrepreneurs on a mission How can innovation help solve the freshwater crisis? Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

What are the new technologies that can help us reach net zero? And how do we bring them to scale fast enough? World Economic Forum Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens joins us to talk about the Advanced Energy Solutions community, and we hear from three of its members, from widely different sectors and geographies, implementing the energy solutions of tomorrow. Guests: Ann Mettler, Vice President, Europe, Breakthrough Energy VK Samudrala, President, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Maarten Michielssens, Founder and CEO, EnergyVision Special Meeting This episode is related to the Forum’s Special Meeting on Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy for Development held in Riyadh on 28-29 April 2024. https://www.weforum.org/events/special-meeting-on-global-collaboration-growth-and-energy-for-development-2024/ Links: Advanced Energy Solutions community: https://www.weforum.org/communities/advanced-energy-solutions-community/ Related podcasts: Geopolitics, the equitable transition, and AI: things to look out for in energy in 2024 It's cheaper to save the world than destroy it: author Akshat Rathi on Climate Capitalism Davos 2024: Transforming Energy Demand The energy transition moonshot: innovations that will transform our world Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

In a polarised world, with the most powerful nations and the UN unable to prevent or end many wars, could the so-called 'middle powers' step up? This week's two guests, both members of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Geopolitics, think so, and say those countries might even consider setting up an 'M-10' of middle powers seeking to resolve conflicts and other problems. This podcast is published ahead of the World Economic Forum's Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development. Find more information at wef.ch/specialmeeting24 and across social media using the hashtag #specialmeeting24. Guests: Susana Malcorra, Senior Advisor at Spain’s IE University and former Argentinian foreign minister and UN Secretary General Chief of Staff. Bruce Jones, Senior Fellow with The Brookings Institution Co-host: Nicolai Ruge, Lead, Geopolitics and Trade at the World Economic Forum. Links: Davos 2024 session: Middle Powers in a Multipolar World Global Future Council on the Future of Geopolitics: https://www.weforum.org/communities/global-future-councils/ Shaping Cooperation in a Fragmenting World: https://www.weforum.org/publications/shaping-cooperation-in-a-fragmenting-world/ Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development: https://www.weforum.org/events/special-meeting-on-global-collaboration-growth-and-energy-for-development-2024/ Related podcasts: Ian Bremmer, Rachel Botsman and Azeem Azhar: 3 experts on the state of the world in 2024 The number of refugees could double in the next decade, the head of UNHCR says why How do vital businesses continue to operate in a war zone? The view from Yemen Global Risks Report: the big issues facing leaders at Davos 2024 Davos 2024: Addressing the North-South Schism 12 leaders share what to prioritize in 2024 Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

“Climate Capitalism is an antidote to the dominant narrative that because we’ve ignored the climate crisis for so long, it will soon be too late. While it’s true that we’ve not done enough yet, we’re nowhere close to being too late.” So says Akshat Rathi, Bloomberg’s senior climate reporter and host of the podcast Zero, in his new book Climate Capitalism, which looks at ways business and industry and finance can make, and in some cases are making, real progress on climate change. Mentioned in this episode: Global Risks Report 2024 Links: World Economic Forum Centre for Nature and Climate  Related podcasts: Geopolitics, the equitable transition, and AI: things to look out for in energy in 2024 Davos 2024: Transforming Energy Demand Reach your changemakers: Arctic Basecamp's Gail Whiteman and Rainn Wilson Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

For half a century, Nile Rodgers has been making hit records that have touched people's hearts around the world. The creative force behind disco pioneers Chic, and some of the best known songs of David Bowie, Madonna and Beyoncé, tells us the definition of an artist: someone whose work "speaks to the souls of a million strangers". But what if generative AI can make music that's just as good? Is AI a threat or a blessing to art and human expression? We also hear from the head of the Hollywood actors' union on why moviemakers went on strike over the threat posed by AI. And from Refik Anadol, a leading light in AI-generated art. Guests: Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator of the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA Refik Anadol, Media Artist and Director, Refik Anadol Studio Nile Rodgers, musician and founder of the We Are Family Foundation Watch: Nile Rodgers interview: https://www.weforum.org/videos/ai-nile-rodgers/ Podcasts: What's next for generative AI? Three pioneers on their Eureka moments AI: Is 2024 the year that governance catches up with the tech? AM24: The Expanding Universe of Generative Models 'AI will either compete with us or augment us' - so how do we pick the right path? Davos 2024: Technology in a Turbulent World AI - What could possibly go wrong?: Professor Stuart Russell Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

Theatre director Jude Kelly founded the Women of the World (WOW) Festival almost two decades ago to spur conversations about women, men and feminism. WOW is now a global phenomenon, but does the rise of online misogyny pose a threat to progress on gender equality. Jude Kelly, who spoke to Radio Davos on World Women's Day 2024, says why it is vital to include men in the conversations about an issue that affects us all. Links: WOW Foundation: https://thewowfoundation.com/ Gender Gap Report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/ Podcasts: How COVID and cost of living hit progress on equality: the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 The future of jobs requires a ‘skills-first’ mindset - for employers and for you Democracy can’t flourish if women are excluded: Nazanin Boniadi on Iran at Davos 2023 Below the Belt: the movie that lifts the taboo on endometriosis Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

A year ago in Davos, energy - particularly the disruption to supply and prices caused by the war in Ukraine - was a top issue at the Forum's Annual Meeting and on Radio Davos we invited two experts in to set out the top lines of the energy discussion. Roberto Bocca, who heads up energy at the World Economic Forum, and John Defterios, a business professor and former CNN journalist, return this year, as war is an even bigger issue. They also discuss the 'energy transition', especially how that might look in the global South, and they address what was the top issue at this year's Davos: artificial intelligence - which many people believe could play a central role in the energy transition, but which is also itself creating a surge in demand for energy to power all the compute needed to create AI. Guests: Roberto Bocca: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/roberto-bocca/ John Defterios: https://www.weforum.org/people/john-defterios/ Mentioned in this episode: Nuclear Energy Summit 2024 - 21 March: https://www.iaea.org/events/nuclear-energy-summit-2024 SDG-7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all: https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/sustainable-development-goals/why-do-sustainable-development-goals-matter/goal-7 Links: Centre for Energy and Materials: https://centres.weforum.org/centre-for-energy-and-materials/home Global Future Council on the Future of Energy Transition: https://www.weforum.org/communities/gfc-on-energy-transition/ Related podcasts: The global conversation on energy changed at Davos 2023 - here’s why The energy transition moonshot: innovations that will transform our world A common good? The companies making the AI products we'll soon all be using: Related sessions from Davos 2024: Building Equitable Transitions: Green and Fair: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/building-equitable-transitions-can-green-be-fair/ Climate and Nature: Seed Capital Needed: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/climate-and-nature-seed-capital-needed/ Live from the Deep Sea: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/live-from-the-deep-sea/ Podcast: Davos 2024: Live from the Deep Sea: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/agenda-dialogues/episodes/davos-2024-live-from-the-deep-sea/ Catch up on all the action from Davos at wef.ch/wef24 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF24. Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

What's in store for 2024? Ian Bremmer's political risk consultancy predicts an 'annus horribilis' but Exponential View's Azeem Azhar says we are in an 'incredible decade'. So is the state of the world 'glass half empty, or half full'? And in an uncertain world, Oxford University's Rachel Botsman, tells why trust is so vital, and how it can be re-built, or rather, re-earned. Guests: Ian Bremmer: https://www.eurasiagroup.net/people/IBremmer Rachel Botsman: https://rachelbotsman.com/ Azeem Azhar: https://www.azeemazhar.com/ World Economic Forum Strategic Intelligence: https://intelligence.weforum.org/ World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/ These are the biggest global risks we face in 2024 and beyond Global Risk Report 2024: Transitions in the age of information Global Risks 2024: At a turning point - Global Risks Report 2024 Global Risks Report 2024: Risks are growing, but there's hope Related podcasts: Global Risks Report: the big issues facing leaders at Davos 2024 'Expect the unexpected': IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva on AI, preparedness - and the global economy in 2024 12 leaders share what to prioritize in 2024 What's next for generative AI? Three pioneers on their Eureka moments Annual Meeting 2024: What just happened in Davos? Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 World Economic Forum Book Club Podcast - subscribe: https://pod.link/1599305768 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

The UNHCR, cares for 114 million refugees and displaced people worldwide. Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations refugee agency, says that number could double in a decade if the world cannot find ways to stop war. Mentioned in this episode: Refugee Employment Alliance: https://www.weforum.org/projects/the-refugee-employment-and-employability-initiative/ Read more: From fleeing war to finding work: companies aim to help refugees find jobs Catch up on all the action from Davos at wef.ch/wef24 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF24. Related podcasts: The 90-year-old using sports to change the lives of refugees Helping the unprecedented number of forcibly displaced Ingka Group's Jesper Brodin: The talent crisis you’re not talking enough about Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 World Economic Forum Book Club Podcast - subscribe: https://pod.link/1599305768 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

If 2023 was the year we all got familiar with generative AI, is 2024 the year when governments will act on the governance of this powerful technology? At Davos 2024 we spoke to these experts, from the industry and civil society: Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology Aidan Gomez, Co-founder and CEO of Cohere Anna Makanju, Vice President of Global Affairs, OpenAI Catch up on all the action from Davos at wef.ch/wef24 and across social media using the hashtag #WEF24. World Economic Forum's AI Governance Alliance: wef.ch/AIGA Related podcasts: Annual Meeting 2024: What just happened in Davos? 2023 was the year we all got to know AI - so where will it take us in 2024? What are semiconductors, and why are they vital to the global economy? Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts: YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 World Economic Forum Book Club Podcast - subscribe: https://pod.link/1599305768 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub