The world has changed enormously over the past 80 years?we are richer and more interconnected than ever before, yet we also face unprecedented challenges, notably the climate and biodiversity crises. The Earth is hotter than it has ever been, with the warmest seven years occurring since 2015. The state of biodiversity is doing no better, with roughly a quarter of species assessed facing a high risk of extinction in the near future.
Despite the brave new world that humanity now faces, one thing has remained steadfast over these past 80 years?our use of gross domestic product (GDP) in decision making. Gross domestic product is perhaps the most well-known and used statistic in the world.…
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 144: Moving Beyond GDP and Achieving Our Common Agenda with Natural Capital Accounting
Energy crisis poses threat to Europe?s industrial sector
Europe is facing a difficult and uncertain economic outlook. Governments, households, and firms are grappling with the energy and cost-of-living crisis that was aggravated by the war in Ukraine. As high energy prices are increasingly feeding through to other sectors of the economy, inflationary pressures have become more broad-based. In October 2022, year-on-year consumer price inflation in the European Union climbed to a record high of 11.5 per cent. The cost of energy remained the biggest driver of overall inflation, with energy prices rising by 38.7 per cent from a year ago. Core inflation ? excluding energy, food, alcohol, and…
World Economic Situation and Prospects: December 2022 Briefing, No. 167
People in almost all countries are living longer. Globally, babies born in 2022 are expected to live 71.7 years on average, 25 years longer than those born in 1950. Rapidly ageing populations have increasing health and long-term care needs. As the forthcoming World Social Report 2023 discusses, however, today?s care and support systems for older persons are insufficient, requiring greater policy attention.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed existing weaknesses across countries in approaches to long-term care and showed how these weaknesses can aggravate inequalities. Poor quality and underfunded care facilities, insufficient provisions for care at home, low wages and precarious working…
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 143: Caregiving in an ageing world
This year marks the 20-year milestone of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, a landmark agreement in which Governments committed to ?building a society for all ages?. The Madrid Plan of Action contains a broad range of objectives, including that of reducing poverty among older persons.
Poverty is a particular risk for older persons. Most people work less or stop working altogether at some point in old age, either for health reasons, family responsibilities, because they must or want to retire at the statutory retirement age, or because discrimination undermines their employment opportunities. While many older persons remain productive, many of their contributions to their…
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 142: Old-age poverty has a woman?s face
Achieving the transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-safe future is a matter of justice in itself?people in vulnerable situations, poor countries and future generations stand to suffer the most from climate change and environmental degradation?but how it is done also matters. A green transition is already taking place, creating jobs and economic opportunities, and its potential in the medium?and long-term is much greater. Inevitably, however, a transformation on the scale necessary to contain climate change also implies losses of jobs, livelihoods, and public and private revenues in many areas and not necessarily where the benefits will accrue most directly. It also…
UN DESA Policy Brief No. 141: A just green transition: concepts and practice so far
Economic downturn poses further risks for food security
Severe food insecurity continues to escalate across the world. The number of people affected by acute hunger nearly doubled between 2016 and 2021 (figure 1). In 2022, the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) and requiring urgent assistance is likely to climb to over 200 million across 53 countries and territories, up from 193 million in 2021. Almost a million people live in famine conditions (IPC/CH Phase 5), facing starvation and death ? ten times more than six years ago. Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen all have populations facing or projected to face starvation…
World Economic Situation and Prospects: November 2022 Briefing, No. 166
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