This excellent explainer by Professor Tim Benton, and John Wallace published in Chatham House lists the threats by bioregions and what can be done about it. After all, '... biodiversity is integral to the resilience of human societies, and without action to both preserve it and reduce carbon emissions, the world will become less and less habitable for humanity and global prosperity.'.
A question now being asked by many economists is ‘Are we in a stock market bubble?' This commentary attached from the asset manager Fidelity “Have we found ourselves in a stock market bubble?” provides a well-balanced analysis to this question with a comment that “We are a long way off that today.”.
The other question asked more often than not by investors and consumers is the question 'Are we going into a recession?' The article by Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University in The Conversation is clear: " Australians are set to find out if we are on the edge of a so-called “official” recession...The national accounts will either show spending, incomes and production continued to grow in the three months to December, or show they fell....But whatever Wednesday’s data shows, the truth is we are already experiencing the biggest dive in living standards in half a century – and have been for two years.'.
The COP28 in Dubai marked the second time a COP has been hosted in the Gulf region since 2012. The selection of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as host raised questions not only about its ability to deliver on the COP agenda but also drew attention to its socio-economic context and its equitable contribution to addressing climate change.
Perhaps there is a silver lining: In this article, the author from Chatham House suggests that by adopting a strategy of diversifying from heavy dependence on a single commodity, and as the world divests from fossil fuiels, Gulf countries may avoid costly consequences of delayed action.
"This transition will be challenging, but the region can harness its financial capacities and transferable skills to gradually transition to a post-oil, climate-compatible economy."
The attached article – ChatGPT from Betashares – provides an insight into the rapid changes that are occurring with AI and the related risks. In the view of Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, Artificial Intelligence AI will have a greater impact upon our lives than the Internet!
This article from Chatham House makes it clear that the way global economies will work going forward will be very different to the past
This very interesting article from Chatham Houe reflects on not only how rising competition for land threatens international and environmental stability, but also how the risks can be mitigated.
Following the Optus debacle, the move to a cashless society may be looked at more carefully.
Cash may no longer be king, but it is still necessary.
At present, with inflation above 5% and the cash rate at 4.35%, a further increase in the cash rate is likely in the New Year.
We had better care, because “…as far as we know, there is exactly one planet in our Solar System – and the galaxy – which hosts life. And you’re on it.”