All sorts of reports came out last week prior or as part of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos and they include some neat infographics too. Here are some that we think are particularly important:
Global Risks Report-2016
This analysis is on perceived global risks in terms of impact and likelihood, based on a survey conducted each year. The fear of failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation was identified as the number one global risk in terms of impact, the first time an environmental risk has ranked number one. There are a few different data visualizations worth exploring on the WEF site such as matrix of impact vs. likelihood and the interconnections of global risks.
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics
The report explores how plastic flows through our economies: Over 90% of plastics produced are derived from virgin fossil feedstocks. This represents, for all plastics (not just packaging), about 6% of global oil consumption, which is equivalent to the oil consumption of the global aviation sector; Most plastic packaging is used only once; 95% of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80-120 billion annually, is lost to the economy; and 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection systems. The stats illustrate the need to capture plastic before its leaked into water ways and recycle it, provide momentum for the New Plastics Economy Initiative. The initiative seeks to engage many different actors along the plastic supply chain for a new approach, applying circular economy principles.
Report was written under Project MainStream, a multi-industry, global initiative launched in 2014 by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with McKinsey & Company as knowledge partner.
In other news, a study published in Nature on Tuesday reveals that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining. The study states that the actual amount of fish caught over the past six decades has not been accurately submitted by countries to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). According to researchers who carried out the study, catches between 1950 and 2010 were actually 50 percent higher than the FAO reported.
The Sustainability Co-Op 