Of Interest
you are currently viewing::Pacific Economic Update: Slowing Growth Highlights Need for More Inclusive WorkforceJune 17, 2025-Increasing women's workforce participation could boost GDP per capita by over 20 percent across Pacific countries, shows World Bank report
The World Bank's flagship Pacific Economic Update, released today in Honiara, projects regional growth to fall to 2.6 percent in 2025, down from 5.5 percent in 2023. This comes as post-COVID recovery fades, tourism weakens in some countries, and global policy uncertainty rises. Inflation is easing but remains above pre-pandemic levels-keeping the cost of living stubbornly high. Source: worldbank.org |
The Brain Economy: The New New Thing
August 2, 2025--At a recent gathering of the G7 conference goers were told the future of economic growth depends on optimizing ‘brain capital,' a term that encompasses brain health and cognitive, emotional, and social skills.
The brain economy, the idea that communities, societies, and countries contribute to economic growth and stability through their collective brainpower, is the New New Thing and in the coming months governments and companies are likely to hear a lot more about it.
Currency Dominance in the Digital Age
July 28, 2025--As digital technologies become the rails upon which money moves, the resilience and credibility of currency networks increasingly hinge on the integrity of technological infrastructure. This fundamentally changes the logic of monetary competition, with far-reaching implications for financial and geopolitical stability.
Unprecedented continental drying, shrinking freshwater availability, and increasing land contributions to sea level rise
July 25, 2025--Abstract
Changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) are a critical indicator of freshwater availability. We use NASA GRACE/GRACE-FO data to show that the continents have undergone unprecedented TWS loss since 2002. Areas experiencing drying increased by twice the size of California annually, creating "mega-drying" regions across the Northern Hemisphere.
While most of the world's dry/wet areas continue to get drier/wetter, dry areas are now drying faster than wet areas are wetting.
Monitoring exposure to future climate-related hazards
July 22, 2025--Forward-looking indicator results and methods using climate scenarios
Abstract
Understanding how climate-related hazards will evolve due to climate change is crucial to guide adaptation decisions. Building on OECD indicators monitoring historical exposure to climate-related hazards, this paper develops forward-looking indicators to monitor exposure of people and agriculture (cropland and livestock) to three major climate-related hazard types (extreme temperature, extreme precipitation, and drought).
OECD-Environment at a Glance Indicators
June 30, 2025--Human activities, particularly the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), are disrupting the earth-atmosphere system by enhancing the natural greenhouse effect. This leads to rising temperatures and broader climate disruption. Changes in land use and forestry practices also influence the balance of GHGs, as they affect the capacity of carbon sinks to capture or release emissions.
Global Energy Transition Gains Ground, but Security and Capital Challenges Persist
June 18, 2025--The World Economic Forum 2025 Energy Transition Index shows the fastest progress since pre-COVID-19, with 65% of countries improving and 28% advancing across all core dimensions-security, sustainability and equity.
Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland top the Index, driven by strong policy commitment, infrastructure and clean energy diversification.
Emerging Europe posted the biggest gains while Emerging Asia outpaced the global average.
Global Carbon Pricing Mobilizes Over $100 Billion for Public Budgets
June 10, 2025--Over one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are covered by carbon pricing
Carbon pricing revenues exceeded $100 billion in 2024, according to a new World Bank report released today. Over half of this revenue generated for public budgets was earmarked for environment, infrastructure, and development projects, representing a slight increase from previous years.
Accelerating Blue Finance: Instruments, Case Studies, and Pathways to Scale
June 7, 2025--The ocean drives economic prosperity and environmental stability for billions of people. Yet it is under threat from overfishing, pollution and climate change.
Public financing isn't enough to respond. The answer: unlock private capital to conserve marine life, prevent overfishing, and build coastal infrastructure to resist floods.
The Longevity Dividend
June 3, 2025--Aging populations should be embraced, not feared
The story of demographic doom has become familiar: Declining birth rates will cause populations to shrink, while longer lifespans will increase the costs of pensions and eldercare. Relatively fewer workers will have to pay for it all.
Sustaining Growth in an Aging World
June 2, 2025--Older populations need not lead to slumping economic growth and mounting fiscal pressures
The demographic dividend that has supported global economic expansion in recent decades will soon make way for a demographic drag. In advanced economies the share of working-age people is shrinking already.
