FT RETHINK
Circular, lean, inclusive and clean focuses on the people, technology, strategies and systems moving us from an economy that is wasteful, idle, lopsided and dirty towards one that is circular, lean, inclusive and clean
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Ukraine crisis leaves Europe at an energy crossroads
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has focused attention on its role as a critical supplier of oil and gas. How will this affect the race to decarbonise?
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Ancient seeds are the future for Lebanon's crisis-hit farmers
A sustainable farm is helping to tackle a wheat shortage made worse by war in Ukraine
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Are electric air taxis and commuter planes really getting closer?
Big money is being spent developing battery-powered aircraft and the technology is improving, but there are still major hurdles to overcome.
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Making the heart of a star to power the world
Scientific breakthroughs and growing interest from private investors means efficiently generating energy using nuclear fusion may be getting closer
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Decarbonising heavy industries will succeed little by little
Thanks to technological advances, the steel, cement and chemicals sectors are beginning to wean themselves off fossil fuels, but it’s a gradual, uphill process
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8 Sustainability ideas that will change the world
Diving into some of the most innovative ideas across retail, city planning, policy, technology and construction. Ideas that will truly change the way we think about sustainability in 2022
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Can we stop wind turbine blades ending up in landfill?
Most wind turbine blades end up in landfill, but new technologies could help solve the problem
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The cost of greener shipping
Shipping sends around a billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year, but any transition to greener fuels could be expensive and consumers will likely foot the bill.
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Biodiversity loss and climate change are two sides of the same coin
As the world sizes up the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, new approaches are emerging to address both
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2022: the year of the nature-positive portfolio
Net zero is a move from an economy that destroys value to one that creates value. Lombard Odier's Thomas Höhne-Sparborth outlines how investors could become nature's biggest allies
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The Unexpected Portfolio – a holistic approach to investing for net zero
Many of today’s sustainability focused strategies exclude the companies that will ultimately contribute the most to future CO2 reductions
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The Race to Net Zero
Net Zero alignment could create investment opportunities worth $5.5 trillion annually over the next fifteen years
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What if the Whales Could Save Us?
Can whales help cool the temperature of our planet? A whale’s body can store up to 33 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide. When they die and sink to the ocean floor, all that carbon is stored there for centuries...
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How rewilding the oceans can lead to a prosperous blue economy
Oceans are the source of at least 50 per cent of all oxygen produced on Earth. Yet industrial fishing, offshore oil exploration and using the ocean as the world’s dumping ground for plastics and harmful chemicals have placed this fragile ecosystem...
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Can recycling stop the retail waste crisis?
Hundreds of billions of dollars are wasted in customer returns.
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A revolution in retail recycling?
A revolution in retail recycling? Unwanted goods create mountains of waste and cost retailers hundreds of billions of dollars.
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Will zero emissions aviation ever take off?
Intriguing technologies are emerging which could lead to zero emissions aviation.
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The long haul to zero emissions aviation
The long haul to zero emissions aviation. Intriguing technologies are emerging which could lead to zero emissions aviation. Bio and synthetic fuels are viable, but still expensive and not perfectly clean.
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Cracking the plastic crisis?
Investors are getting excited about chemical recycling, but campaigners see it as a distraction
Read moreRethink Sustainability explores the spread of sustainable practises into urban systems, food systems, financial systems and supply chains
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Precision Agriculture - Farming for the future
Digital solutions could be the key to producing more food while protecting the environment
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When summer destinations meet social isolation
The coronavirus pandemic prompted a huge drop in carbon emissions. As the travel industry begins to rebuild and the summer holiday season hits its peak, how do we ensure a green recovery?
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Biodiversity: the risks of living outside nature’s boundaries
From bacteria to blue whales and from fungi to flowers, the loss of Earth’s biodiversity and the subsequent damage to our ecosystem is one of the top ten dangers facing society today.
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Decarbonisation: plotting the path to net zero
There is limited time left to reduce emission levels and mitigate climate change risks, but the path to net zero will bring with it significant investment opportunities
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The pandemic will forever transform how we live
From homeworking to healthcare, Covid-19 has forced society to adapt in ways that should endure
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A world without waste: how gold mining is going green
Recycling precious metals and minerals from used electronics can help make today's consumption patterns more environmentally sustainable.
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Sponge Cities - Smart cities for the future
It seems inevitable, in the short-term at least, that Wuhan will be remembered most widely outside of China as the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.
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Coronavirus could help push us into a greener way of life
For all its horror, the pandemic may change our habits when nothing else could
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Alternative meat industry moves beyond the burger
Cell- and plant-based meat start-ups are developing ‘cuts’ of steak and chicken
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Eco-friendly tech that uses natural and recycled materials
Five sustainable gadgets for the kitchen and the living room, designed with the wellbeing of the planet in mind
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Can you swallow the idea of lab-grown meat?
The notion of ‘growing’ a steak in a test tube sounds like science fiction. But our food habits change
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The growing problem of e-waste
Globally, we produce 50m tonnes of toxic electronic waste every year — and the UK is one of the worst offenders
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The Devil wears sustainable nylon
Lorenzo Bertelli oversees bags made from recycled fabric after joining family group
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Can we break our addiction to plastic? The future of packaging.
Roughly a quarter of the 348 million tons of annual plastic production worldwide now goes into packaging, according to Plastics Europe and UK conservation charity the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, making it the single biggest use of the material
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Can we turn the tide of plastic packaging?
The consumer movement against plastic food and beverage packaging is gathering momentum, and companies are beginning to respond.
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Warrior accountants: leading the green revolution?
When it comes to green issues, many of us assume it’s activists and campaigners who will change the world. But the FT’s Gillian Tett believes that as the responsible investing business continues to grow, so too will the need for financial transparency and
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High-hanging fruit?: Feeding cities with vertical farming
By 2050, 68% of the global population is expected to live in cities and eat 80% of food produced. Unless we find a way to grow food within or near cities, the ecological footprint of feeding the masses could be devastating.
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The digital technologies transforming the supply chain
Whether they’re tracking the origin of valuable assets or allowing consumers to discover more about the sustainability of their purchases, digital technologies are making the supply chain ever more efficient, and transparent.
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Agriculture's New Apps: Precision Innovation to Feed the World
Precision weather tracking, ‘blood pressure monitoring’ for plants and complex nutrient analysis apps are now the must-have tools for modern farmers.
Watch videoSustainability Revolution takes a look into every aspect of life and business – from healthcare to data management, transport and energy
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DYSFUNCTIONAL: exploring sustainability through design
Artist Mathieu Lehanneur discusses his work for new exhibit DYSFUNCTIONAL, created in partnership with Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Lombard Odier.
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Can we build smarter people using AI?
Theoretical neuroscientist and entrepreneur Vivienne Ming believes that AI and what she calls “augmented intelligence” mean we’ll eventually have people who are artificially smarter than others.
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Why women should invest in women
Men dominate the venture capital scene. A recent UK study found that less than one per cent of venture capital goes to businesses founded by women.
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Dinner is printed: is 3D technology the future of food?
Culinary 3D printing is new and rather niche but it could be an answer to some of the food industry's biggest challenges.
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The rise of the #MeOnly society
People are living longer and children have always been expected to look after their parents in old age. But the FT’s Roger Blitz is convinced individuals are becoming more self-centred and less interested in the family.
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What If I don't Buy A House...Ever?
Whilst the traditional home ownership model is no longer viable for many, it hasn’t dampened the appetite for city centre living, nor impacted the growing desire for a smaller environmental footprint.
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How cities can heal themselves
As urbanisation accelerates and infrastructure decays, researchers are working out how cities can heal themselves. As the FT’s Nikou Asgari explains, they are carrying out tests on materials that repair themselves and an army of maintenance robots that ca
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Will gene editing increase inequality?
A Chinese scientist claims to have created the world’s first genome-edited babies, but won't this cause more inequality in society?
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Deep-sea mining: vital resource or environmental disaster?
Chief Economist of Lombard Odier Samy Chaar shares his diagnosis for Europe's economy ""We're not going to run the marathon tomorrow, but we're doing ok"".
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A Diagnosis for Europe
Chief Economist of Lombard Odier Samy Chaar shares his diagnosis for Europe's economy ""We're not going to run the marathon tomorrow, but we're doing ok"".
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Hotels in fifty shades of green
Who wants to worry about taking care of the environment when they’re on holiday? No one, according to Xenia zu Hohenlohe, partner at Considerate Group, which is which is why she thinks hotels should do the job for their guests.
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The west’s new recycling challenge
At the end of 2017, China banned virtually all materials for recycling. Before that, it took about 60 per cent of the plastic waste exported by G7 countries.
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Should we be frightened of AI?
Could computers ever replicate humans and take over the world? It’s unlikely, according to leading neuroscientist David Eagleman, largely because what it means to be human is constantly evolving.
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Climate change and the migrant caravan
Thousands of Central Americans are trying to flee to the United States in what’s become known as the migrant caravan. Many are escaping violence and extortion, but climate change is also playing a part.
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What If?
An investor with ownership in a large forest faces numerous choices, ranging from farming the land, to building houses, to simply selling all the wood
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The internet is broken - people could die
The internet has rapidly become an indispensable tool, but the FT’s Hannah Kuchler thinks it is seriously flawed and in urgent need of repair.
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The scorpion-milking robot: extracting the poison that cures
Since ancient Rome animal poisons have been used to heal rather than harm the human body. Scorpion venom can be used to help detect and cure diseases, but milking scorpions by hand is a time-consuming and dangerous process.
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Blockchain in the Silicon Savannah
One of the most innovative blockchain and cryptocurrency hubs on the planet right now is in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Is technology controlling you?
We may think we’re in control of our technology but the FT’s Rana Foroohar believes it may be controlling us. A recent study found that 4 in 10 Americans are suffering from addictive behaviour linked to their phones.
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