Research

Explore our collection of articles on the leading megatrends in technology, politics, and society.

Filter: Short-form articles

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The chemical industry is out of control

We have no idea about the long-term impacts of chemical production on our planet. Is it time for a 'guilty until proven innocent' approach?

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The developing intrinsic value of nature

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The sour aftertaste of the Glasgow COP26

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Feel-good philanthropy

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Stimulating sustainable consumer practices

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The greening of green financial products

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Will the metaverse be a “pornoverse”?

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How a decline in trust can be a driver for new political leadership

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AUKUS and the return of geopolitics

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What to think of the Corona Pass?

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The ‘Wechselstimmung’ after Merkel

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The traffic light turns green for German digitalization

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China’s CBDC-as-a-standard?

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The future of the anti-establishment, conservative right

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Climate litigation and civil society

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What would a sufficiently sustainable ordinary life look like?

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A new narrative on climate change

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On the Chinese variety of capitalism

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How to deal with the medical uncertainty of Long COVID?

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India’s rise as a digital superpower

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On realizing we are not alone

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Judges break the unwritten rule of environmental agreements

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Winter is ending

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The G7 tax deal is all about American geo-economics

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We need more downward mobility

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The emergence of big tech mesh networks

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Lifestyle politics in the planetary age

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Elon Musk – What does his popularity tell us about 21st century leadership?

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Hegemonic shift makes the European Super League inevitable

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The not-so-bright future after the pandemic

Breaking the bottleneck

Can state-led initiatives relying on market mechanisms help us achieve our decarbonization goals?

Beyond planetary boundaries: towards Earth systems justice

Linking new developments in Earth systems research to the Deep Transitions Framework

Has AI become indistinguishable from life itself?

Developments in AI lead to new speculations about the role of technologies in the evolution of life.

Urban greening should focus on equity, not nature

The external valuation of nature in city planning could withhold green areas from becoming accessible to all

Learning to waste

All manufacturing produces waste, even the clean energy industry. Critical clean energy technologies – EV batteries, solar panels, wind turbine blades – lead to a massive problem with waste management

Are weapons still a sin stock?

Changes in narratives, economic structures and the nature of technology could be altering the status of defense stock.

Human sensors will feed the global mega machine

Intelligent systems will increasingly solicit our ‘help’ to gather data

The return of the incumbent?

A reflection on the demise of Big Tech and the return of industrial incumbents

The case for climate radicalism

The impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt all across the globe.

Rediscovering the collective dimension of freedom

How the classic political philosophy of liberalism can broaden our individualistic interpretation of freedom.