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World Economic Forum- Global Cooperation At Crossroads

The Global Cooperation Barometer indicates that international cooperation has “flatlined”, driven by heightened geopolitical tensions and instability, but positive momentum in climate finance, health and innovation offers hope.
In an era of heightened volatility, leaders will need to embrace “disordered” cooperation and dynamic, solutions-driven decision-making to deliver tangible results and build trust. AI and other emerging technologies are reshaping the global landscape and driving upheaval. Concerted cooperation will be critical to harness benefits and minimize risks.

Geneva, Switzerland, January 2025 – The World Economic Forum’s Global Cooperation Barometer offers a critical assessment of the state of global cooperation, showing a world grappling with heightened competition and conflict, while also identifying various areas where leaders can drive progress through innovative collaboration. Released amid geopolitical, technological and sociopolitical upheaval, the Forum’s flagship annual report underscores the urgency of addressing shared challenges and offers leaders guidance on what cooperation can look like in a shifting world.
 
The Global Cooperation Barometer 2025, developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, uses 41 indicators to measure the current state of global cooperation. The aim is to offer leaders a tool to better understand the contours of cooperation broadly and along five pillars: trade and capital flows, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security. Now in its second edition, the Barometer draws on new data to provide an updated picture of the global cooperation landscape, with a particular focus on the impact of the new technological age.
 
“The Barometer is being released at a moment of great global instability and at a time when many new governments are developing agendas for the year, and their terms, ahead,” said Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. “What the Barometer shows is that cooperation is not only essential to address crucial economic, environmental and technological challenges, it is possible within today’s more turbulent context.”
 
“This second edition of the Global Cooperation Barometer focuses on where cooperation stands today and what it can look like in the new technological age,” said Bob Sternfels, Global Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company. “Advancing global innovation, health, prosperity and resilience cannot be done alone. Leaders will need new mechanisms for working together on key priorities, even as they disagree on others, and the past several years have shown this balance is possible.”

The latest edition of the Barometer highlights that global cooperation is at a critical juncture. The report’s analysis reveals that after trending positively for a decade and surpassing pre-pandemic levels, overall cooperation has stagnated.

This has been driven by a sharp decline of the peace and security pillar of the Barometer over the past seven years, caused by mounting geopolitical tensions and competition which have significantly eroded global collective security. Levels of conflict and attendant humanitarian crises have increased in the past year to record levels, driven by crises including, but not limited to, the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.

As the largely stable cooperative order that defined the post-Cold War period is giving way to a more fragmented landscape, solutions to pressing challenges – from climate action to technological governance – require collaboration. And despite the global security crises, the new findings indicate that collaboration has continued in various areas including vaccine distribution, scientific research, renewable energy development, and more – offering models for future cooperation.
Notably, peace and security have declined sharply in recent years, but other pillars of the Barometer have remained resilient and reveal emerging opportunities for international cooperation,

Innovation and technology. While geopolitical competition is rising in regard to certain frontier technologies such as semiconductors, overall global cooperation on technology and innovation advanced in 2023, in part due to digitization of the global economy. This helped drive the adoption of new technologies, a strong ramp-up in the supply of critical minerals – and a related drop in price of lithium batteries – and a rebound in student mobility. However, rapid disruption from emerging technologies such as AI is reshaping the global landscape, raising the possibility of a new frontline of geostrategic competition or even an “AI arms race”. Cooperative leadership and inclusive strategies will be key to harness its vast potential while tackling risks.

Climate and natural capital: Cooperation on climate goals improved over the past year, with increased finance flows and higher trade in low-carbon technologies such as solar, wind and electric vehicles. Yet, urgent action is required to meet net-zero targets as global emissions continue to rise. Greater global cooperation will be essential to scale up technologies and secure the financing needed to meet climate goals by 2030.

Health and wellness: Some health outcomes, including life expectancy, continued to improve post-pandemic, but overall progress is slowing compared to pre-2020. While cross-border assistance and pharmaceutical R&D have declined, and cooperation on trade in health goods and international regulations stalled, various health metrics including child and maternal mortality remain strong. Given rising health risks and ageing populations, leaders should invest in global cooperation to bolster public health and sustainable health systems.

Trade and capital flows: Metrics related to the flow of goods and services, trade, capital and people had mixed outcomes in 2023. Goods trade declined by 5%, driven largely by slower growth in China and other developing economies, while global fragmentation continued to reduce trade between Western and Eastern-aligned blocs. Despite this, global flows of services, capital and people showed resilience. Foreign direct investment surged, particularly in strategic sectors like semiconductors and green energy, while labour migration and remittances rebounded strongly, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.Looking ahead, leaders will need to find ways to work together, even as competition increases, as tangible results will be crucial to maintain public trust and support. The report concludes by underscoring the urgent need for adaptive, solutions-driven leadership to navigate a turbulent global landscape. By pivoting towards cooperative solutions, leaders can rebuild trust, drive meaningful change and unlock new opportunities for shared progress and resilience in the complex years ahead.
 
About the Global Cooperation Barometer Methodology
 
The Global Cooperation Barometer – first launched in 2024 – evaluates global collaboration across five interconnected dimensions: trade and capital, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security. The Barometer is built on 41 indicators, categorized as cooperative action metrics (evidence of tangible cooperation, such as trade volumes, capital flows, or intellectual property exchanges) and outcome metrics (broader measures of progress like reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or improvements in life expectancy). Spanning 2012–2023 and indexed to 2020 to reflect pandemic-era shifts, the Barometer normalizes data for comparability (e.g., financial metrics relative to global GDP and migration metrics to population levels) and weights it equally within and across pillars.
 
About the Annual Meeting 2025
 
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, taking place in Davos-Klosters from 20 to 24 January, convenes global leaders under the theme, Collaboration for the Intelligent Age. The meeting will foster new partnerships and insights to shape a more sustainable, inclusive future in an era of rapidly advancing technology, focusing on five key areas: Reimagining Growth, Industries in the Intelligent Age, Investing in People, Safeguarding the Planet, and Rebuilding TrustClick here to learn more.

Scientists Urge Caution On Underwater Mining

For years the ‘bad ones’ have poisoned rivers, devastated forests and displaced communities, and now massive companies are rushing to dig up the seabed for precious metals.

MIT: “The ocean’s deep-sea bed is scattered with ancient, potato-sized rocks called “polymetallic nodules” that contain nickel and cobalt — minerals that are in high demand for the manufacturing of batteries, such as for powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy, and in response to factors such as increasing urbanization. The deep ocean contains vast quantities of mineral-laden nodules, but the impact of mining the ocean floor is both unknown and highly contested.”

Sledge From Sea Mining Operations
Sediment plumes following the wake of this deep sea mining ship.

And yet, only twenty-four people have the regulatory powers to stop this type of plunder in our planet’s most fragile places:  The International Seabed Authority.  You’ve likely never heard of them because this group attracts as little attention as an underwater mine miles offshore.

A few countries have agreed to full or partial bans, and leading scientists have appealed for a freeze on deep sea mining contracts.

Mining companies claim they can mine the seabed safely, but authorities in Namibia, Australia and New Zealand have blocked seabed mining projects.  Scientists point out that many deep water species are being discovered quite regularly, and that the ocean floor can take decades to recover from disturbances such as the creation of sediment plumes from deep sea floor bed mining.

There are limits to how deep Surface ships can reach- but is that enough to protect the deep of our Oceans?
There are technological limits to how deep Surface ships can reach- but is that enough to protect the deep of our Oceans? New technologies and techniques always lead to deeper mining.

Seabed Mining: The 30 People Who Could Decide the Fate of the — Oceans  Deeply
New technology allowing for deeper mining and intensified mining: A massive seafloor EV rover.

The International Seabed Authority has already issued licenses for exploratory mining across 1.2 million square kilometers of ocean floor. As mentioned earlier, this regulatory body is almost unknown, and its 24-person Legal and Technical Committee is solely responsible for the detailed scrutiny of proposals and environmental safeguards.

GreenPeace Graphic Deap Seabed Mining

Supplemental:

Deep sea mining: the new resource frontier? (Al-Arabiya)
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/world/2014/11/12/Deep-sea-mining-the-new-resource-frontier-.html

Marine mining: Underwater gold rush sparks fears of ocean catastrophe (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/02/underwater-gold-rush-marine-mining-fears-ocean-th… 

New Interest in Seafloor Mining Revives Calls for Conservation (National Geographic)
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/12/11/new-interest-in-seafloor-mining-revives-calls-for-co… 

Deep sea mining hopes hit by New Zealand decision (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6edaeea8-b894-11e4-a2fb-00144feab7de.html#axzz3VFC8Wm1y 

Scientists call for temporary halt on new deep sea mining projects (Popular Science)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6edaeea8-b894-11e4-a2fb-00144feab7de.html#axzz3VFC8Wm1y

Shedding some light on the International Seabed Authority (University of Southampton)
http://moocs.southampton.ac.uk/oceans/2014/03/09/shedding-some-light-on-the-international-seabed-authority/

Agrarians From Ancient World Knew About Biochar

Agrarians from various ancient cultures around the world discovered the soil fertility benefits of charred biomass over two thousand years ago.

Now known as ‘biochar’, this ancient soil management practice has been enjoying a renaissance of late for a number of reasons largely related to the need for more resilient and productive soils and biochar’s ability to sequester carbon in a safe and beneficial manner.

Biochar is made by baking organic material in an oxygen-limited environment, called pyrolysis. Benefits vary depending on the soil, crops and climate where biochar is used with poor soils benefiting the most. Providing long-lasting organic material, improving water and nutrient holding capacity, and improving overall soil tilth are all potential benefits.

Due to its porous nature and cation exchange capacity, biochar can also be used as a filtration medium to prevent nutrient run-off from farms into local water bodies. In Europe livestock farmers are adding small amounts of biochar to feed rations to improve feed conversion ratios and overall animal health. Biochar as carbon fodder has also shown promise as a way to reduce enteric methane emissions.

Biochar
“When we first started in 2011 to load biochar with high amounts of liquid NP-fertilizer and tested them in pod trials, we could prove reduced nutrient leaching after simulated strong rain events. When we planted a second culture (paprika after radish) in the same pods without additional fertilization, plant growth was significantly improved in the biochar treatments (see image). From an economic point of view, the difference in growth might have been not relevant as some additional fertilization would have been cheaper than the price of biochar that saved some mineral fertilizer. However working with low amounts of nutrient enhanced biochar [1 t per hectare] applied as slow release fertilizer close to the roots every year seems very promising when viewed from both an economic and ecological perspective. ” Ithaka Institute

Biochar is increasingly available to purchase but farmers can also convert their on-farm waste biomass in to biochar.

Farm scale equipment for making biochar is evolving and shows promise not just as a waste conversion technology which produces a valuable soil amendment, but also as a means for farmers to generate renewable energy in the form of heat, and in some cases electricity.  For the Silo,  Kathleen Draper.

Seen here: “…we focused on organic plant nutrients and started multiple tests with a wide variety of nutrient rich biomass wastes including: liquid animal manure, urine, feathers, yeasts, wool, vinasse etc. Over the past four years we have developed a panoply of organic carbon fertilizer that can be produced commercially or manufactured by farmers themself all over the world. One of our favourites is the sheep wool, vinasse, pyrolyse ash, biochar pellets with 7% Norg / 6.5% P2O5 / 6% K2O “

Kathleen Draper is the US Director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence, a non-profit focused on research, education and program services that promote climate positive solutions which enhance land management, urban design, and resource efficiency.  

Worlds Leading Architects Include Sir Norman Foster

Who is Sir Norman Foster?  A British born architect world renowned for his ground-breaking interpretations of neo futuristic and post-modern design, that’s who.

Perhaps most famously known for designing and constructing “The Gherkin” tower in London, England at a cost of 138 million pounds. This office building is sure to turn the heads of tourists and Londoners alike.

Renewable Energy Outlook for 2040 Includes Cancelling Your Print Newspapers

Hey Silo readers! This infographic courtesy of FuelFighterUK demonstrates how production could look in 2040 and what is being done to make our world a greener place. The infographic covers the projected worldwide growth in energy demand, what is being invested to change the renewable outlook and some awesome eco-friendly innovations that have been made by technology companies. For the Silo, Louis Dixon


Energy Outlook For 2040 Infographic 

How Your Startup Company Will Benefit From Energy Consultant

If you’re just starting your own company, then it’s understandable that you’ll be very busy at first. After all, you have so much to do to nurture and grow your business. But sooner or later (preferably sooner), your startup needs to take advantage of the services of a top-notch energy consultant.

Here are some compelling reasons why you should use an energy consultant right away.

size doesnt matter Shakespeare quote1. Size doesn’t matter. Maybe you think your company has to grow bigger first before you can enjoy the benefits of energy consulting. But that’s not entirely true. Even a small company can enjoy huge advantages when an energy consultant is on board.

2. Unbiased advice. Since an energy consultant isn’t really part of your company, you can get independent advice. You won’t have to worry about getting recommendations and findings from your employees or departments which may or may not be biased.

3. Energy usage patterns. Every company has its own patterns of energy usage. Some days and time frames will see a very heavy use of energy, while during other times there may not be a lot of energy use at all. Your energy consultant can then identify these times as part of their examination, and that can eventually help your company become more energy-efficient.

For example, it may be possible to arrange the heavy use of electricity during the time of day when the cost of electricity is at its lowest.

4. Alternative energy sources. Your energy consultant will have the necessary knowledge and experience regarding other ways of powering your business. Your company can get a comprehensive analysis regarding your possible use of these energy sources.

The report may examine several alternative sources of energy regarding their suitability for your business, and these may be solar energy or wind turbine power. The energy consultant may find out exactly how much it will cost your business to buy and install these systems. They may also determine how long it will take to complete the installation, and how easy it is to operate these systems. At the same time, the consultant can also find out exactly how much money you can cut from your current energy bills.

meme by ICANHASCHEEZBURGER.COM
meme by ICANHASCHEEZBURGER.COM

5. Using green energy. Many businesses today focus on being environmentally friendly. It’s not just right for the world, but it’s also right for your business as you can include your use of green energy as part of your marketing plan. When your company can help reduce carbon emissions, you can make your place and your neighborhood healthier, while it also boosts the reputation of your company.

6. Regular advice. Your energy consultant may be asked to come in on a regular basis. Because of this, your company may keep current on the latest developments regarding the use of renewable energy. This means you’ll learn about new technology and changes in alternative energy laws. Also, your energy consultant can fine-tune your use of alternative energy and also make sure that your renewable energy system is running at peak efficiency. For the Silo, Dimitry Karloff.

 

Green Party Emphatic No To Proposed ‘Tar Sands Oil’ Pipelines In Ontario

Oil pipelines already cross Canada and the United States- Ontario's Green Party stands opposed to a proposed Oil pipeline (using a modified natural gas pipeline) set to cross into and through Ontario. CP image: leadenergy.org
Oil pipelines already cross Canada and the United States- Ontario’s Green Party stands opposed to a proposed Oil pipeline (using a modified natural gas pipeline) set to cross into and through Ontario. CP image: leadenergy.org

Ottawa – Green Party leader Mike Schreiner is pledging to fight two oil pipeline projects through Ontario.  Joining Ottawa South candidate Taylor Howarth on a campaign tour, Schreiner and Howarth raised concerns about the health, environmental and economic effects of TransCanada Corp.’s proposed east coast pipeline, which travels through Ottawa, and Enbridge’s proposed Line 9 pipeline. Both projects
will pump tar sands oil east.

“Greens will fight for the health and safety of our communities,” says Schreiner. “If BC can say no to dirty oil pipelines, Ontario should too.”    TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline could transport as much as 850,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day. The project would require retrofitting a 55 year old natural gas pipeline to handle the heavy, more abrasive and corrosive tar sands oil.

“I don’t want to see a tragedy in my community, and I will fight to prevent it,” says Howarth. “This pipeline was not built to handle tar sands oil, and as MPP, I will push the Ontario government to oppose the project. Every vote for the Green Party sends this message to Queen’s Park.”

According to the Montreal Gazette- Municipalities and Counties strung along the Line 9b pathway received cash donations from Enbridge. CP
According to the Montreal Gazette- Municipalities and Counties strung along the Line 9b pathway received cash donations from Enbridge. CP

 

Studies in the U.S. reveal that pipelines carrying tar sands oil spilled almost three times as much crude oil per mile of pipeline between 2007 and 2010 compared to the U.S. national average. And heavy tar sands oil is more difficult and expensive to clean up than light crude or natural gas.    “Both of these pipeline projects are a bad deal for Ontario,” says Schreiner.

“These pipelines are all risk and no reward.”   Instead of projects that will increase pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the Green
Party is calling for policies to support clean tech innovation.    “Ontario must invest in where the puck is going, not where it is, to create jobs and clean prosperity,” says Schreiner. “Ontario should commit to building electric cars that don’t pollute and support made in Ontario renewable energy, not pipelines that threaten our communities.”   For the Silo, Becky Smit.

Supplemental-  Ontario Energy Workers union backs proposed Line 9 Oil pipeline  http://business.financialpost.com/2013/07/09/energy-workers-union-backs-line-9-project-calls-for-stricter-oil-by-rail-regulation/?__lsa=6225-fce3

Enbridge Website Line9 Reversal Phase 1 Project Overview http://www.enbridge.com/ECRAI/Line9ReversalProject