Global Scans · Responsible Consumption and Production · Weekly Summary

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In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

• If higher interest rates have the power to curb spending in the UK economy and cool gross domestic product growth, lower rates will in theory create the opposite effect. Morningstar UK
• Renewable capacity for hydrogen production is concentrated in China, Saudi Arabia and the US, which together are expected to account for more than 75% of renewable capacity for hydrogen production by 2028. Global Trade Review (GTR)
• After a sluggish close to 2023, oil prices are creeping higher in 2024 in response to the risks of an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and Red Sea - crucial oil production and transportation regions. investing.com UK
• Generative artificial intelligence has become a buzzword in 2024, capturing the public's fancy and sparking a rush among Microsoft and Alphabet to launch products with the technology they believe will change the nature of work. Legacy IAS Academy
• As a global trading nation, diseases carried from imported animals, animal products, plants and plant products pose a serious risk to the UK's biosecurity. GOV.UK
• New border controls will come into effect for animals, plants and plant products imported to Great Britain from the EU. GOV.UK
• The faltering global economy is expected to slow the growing demand for oil from in 2024, before the take-up of electric vehicles in the second half of the decade causes consumption to reach a peak. The Guardian
• The RBF Governor stated earlier this week that the Fijian economy is expected to decelerate in 2024, citing a reduction in substantial growth in tourism and consumption. Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
• Samsung plans to commence production of HBM3e 2 4GB products in the first half of 2024, with HBM3e 3 6GB products slated for production in the second half of the year, with progress ahead of schedule. TrendForce Insights
• The latest assessment of the UK's economy indicated that businesses investing in AI are expected to see an increase in efficiency and production, claiming that utilising AI will bring benefits to productivity. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
• Women with a Glu27 variant and a carbohydrate intake constituting more than 49% of total caloric consumption had a nearly three-fold increase in their risk of developing obesity. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Supernova says that its focus in 2025 will be on materials development for specific industrial applications, as well as the industrialization of the product ecosystem, with the first beta systems set to be installed in 2024. DEVELOP3D
• US customs officials have detained a limited number of aluminum products for further investigation over risk of links to forced labour and have warned importers that, unless they can provide the origin of their aluminum, their products risk being detained. Human Rights Watch
• An island nation like Cyprus, of which 37% is occupied and under constant security threat, cannot afford to reduce local electricity production and depend on a cable that can be easily damaged or attacked and because of its enormous depth cannot be easily corrected. George Chrysochos: The greatest myths and dangers of th
• Consumers will not benefit drastically, while investments in both renewable and conventional sources of production in Cyprus will stop. George Chrysochos: The greatest myths and dangers of th
• The draft Acas Code of Practice on handling predictable working pattern requests will create more red tape, reduce productivity and hinder contractor recruitment. HR Magazine
• Simulations of wheat blast in Europe and East Asia show the potential for a small production loss under both scenarios. Nature
• Under climate change scenarios for the period 2040-2070, wheat blast is predicted to spread primarily in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere as temperature and relative humidity increase, resulting in a potential 13% global loss in wheat production annually. Nature
• Embracing reuse systems presents an opportunity to reduce plastic pollution by 30% by 2040 and potentially decrease greenhouse gas emissions from packaging production by a staggering 80%. Pressenza
• In 2024, key trends in the additive manufacturing industry involve organizations increasingly incorporating additive manufacturing into production operations to mitigate supply chain risks, enhance product design flexibility, and reduce manufacturing costs. 3D Printing Industry
• India remains the fastest-growing major economy in the world and in the coming years will become the world's third-largest economy with a $5 trillion Gross Domestic Product. WION
• Doubling population in Africa over the next 30 years, together with greater rice consumption per capita (from 48 to 60 kg per capita), would lead to 135% increase in demand for rice, totaling 150 Mt by 2050. Nature

Last updated: 05 February 2024