Artificial intelligence took centre stage alongside geopolitics at this year’s Davos gathering, underscoring how deeply AI is now tied to national power, economic competitiveness, and global influence. According to Cathy Li, head of the Centre for AI Excellence at the World Economic Forum, countries are increasingly racing to secure AI sovereignty—their ability to govern and control their own AI systems—amid rising strategic tensions.
Continue reading “AI sovereignty and Europe’s chance to leapfrog”Carbon dioxide removal vs biodiversity
A new study published in Nature Climate Change examines how carbon dioxide removal (CDR)—the process of extracting carbon from the atmosphere and storing it—could shape the future of global biodiversity. Led by scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the research combines projections from five large-scale climate models with data on 135,000 species and 70 biodiversity hotspots to map where land-based carbon removal is most likely to occur in coming decades.
Continue reading “Carbon dioxide removal vs biodiversity”EU-India trade deal reshapes global trade order
Leaders of the European Union and India have announced a landmark free trade agreement that concludes nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations and signals a major shift in global trade alignments. Both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the accord as “the mother of all deals,” underscoring its scale, ambition, and geopolitical importance. The agreement, commonly referred to as the EU-India trade deal, is the most comprehensive trade pact India has ever signed and links two of the world’s largest economies at a moment of heightened global uncertainty.
Continue reading “EU-India trade deal reshapes global trade order”Nature markets promise pitfalls and credibility
Global leaders have pledged to halt and reverse the degradation of nature over the coming decades, but limited public finances mean governments are increasingly turning to nature markets as a way to mobilise private investment. These markets are designed to measure ecological improvements—such as restored habitats or increased carbon storage—and convert them into tradable credits. In principle, this approach can diversify funding sources and scale up investment in nature restoration. In practice, however, delivering real environmental gains through markets has proven far more complex.
Continue reading “Nature markets promise pitfalls and credibility”Circulation Is the missing link in the AI economy
The essay challenges the dominant story told by leading AI labs: that building ever more powerful artificial intelligence will automatically deliver explosive productivity, surging GDP, and widespread prosperity. While this narrative is appealing to those developing and financing advanced models, it overlooks a fundamental economic reality. An economy is not simply about producing more; it depends on circulation. Production must be matched to demand, and demand requires broadly distributed purchasing power. When income and bargaining power collapse for large parts of society, productivity gains alone cannot sustain prosperity.
Continue reading “Circulation Is the missing link in the AI economy”Digital sovereignty and Europe’s blackout risk
Modern European societies are built on an expectation of uninterrupted digital access. Everyday activities such as paying for food, accessing healthcare, managing public services, working remotely, and staying in touch with others all rely on complex digital systems that operate largely out of sight. When these systems function smoothly, their importance is easy to overlook. But a sudden, widespread digital outage would expose how deeply daily life depends on fragile and interconnected technologies.
Continue reading “Digital sovereignty and Europe’s blackout risk”AI rewrites the tech supply chain power map
For more than a decade, Apple occupied a uniquely powerful position at the heart of the global technology ecosystem. Its enormous scale allowed it to dominate the supply chain, setting prices, locking in scarce manufacturing capacity, and shaping the long-term plans of suppliers that produced everything from advanced chips to memory, substrates, and packaging. This dominance gave Apple a decisive edge over competitors, ensuring early access to cutting-edge components and reliable production volumes. Today, however, that era is fading as influence shifts toward AI companies and cloud giants.
Continue reading “AI rewrites the tech supply chain power map”Greenland and the new Arctic power struggle
Lying between the United States and Russia, Greenland has emerged as a critical geopolitical frontline as rapid Arctic warming reshapes the region. Long viewed as remote and inaccessible, the island is now at the centre of growing strategic competition driven by climate change, shifting trade routes, and the race for critical resources. This importance was highlighted when Donald Trump openly suggested that the United States could seek to acquire the island from Denmark, a fellow Nato member—remarks that were initially dismissed but are now seen as an early indicator of how melting ice is transforming the Arctic into a zone of strategic rivalry.
Continue reading “Greenland and the new Arctic power struggle”Greenland natural resources beneath ice and fire
Greenland is emerging as one of the most resource-rich regions on Earth, combining vast geological wealth with growing geopolitical and environmental significance. Greenland natural resources include critical raw materials such as lithium and rare earth elements (REEs), alongside precious metals, industrial minerals, and enormous hydrocarbon reserves of oil and gas. These materials are essential for green technologies, batteries, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics, placing Greenland at the centre of the global energy transition.
Continue reading “Greenland natural resources beneath ice and fire”Plastics recycling at a critical crossroads
The plastics recycling industry across Europe and the United States is facing a severe contraction, with recyclers warning that without urgent regulatory reform, political recycling targets will be impossible to meet. Over recent years, a combination of economic pressures and policy uncertainty has triggered widespread plant closures. In Europe alone, more than 300,000 tonnes per year of mechanical recycling capacity shut down in 2024, with a similar loss expected in 2025. This decline marks a critical moment for plastics recycling, as both the volume of plastics entering recycling streams and recycled output fell for the first time.
Continue reading “Plastics recycling at a critical crossroads”