Issue 146: Have We Reached Peak Consumption?
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re talking consumption. – Mary Ames, Director of Strategy
THE BIG TAKE
Have We Reached Peak Consumption?
With the COP28 climate conference in the UAE fast approaching, the climate debate is heating up in the region. The conference will feature tough discussions about the reality of climate change and innovative ideas for how to curb negative impacts on the Earth. While COP28 will feature big ideas that inspire new perspectives, our greatest impact individually starts with our personal consumption.
Peak coffee. The Financial Times published a long interactive feature about global coffee consumption this month. Our collective coffee consumption has reached historic levels, and we are now at risk of exhausting this valuable resource. About 3 billion cups of coffee are drunk worldwide every day — a number expected to double by 2050 if current trends continue. Warming global temperatures mean that more than half of existing coffee fields could be unusable in the near future. What can we do?
Habits are key. The challenges of coffee supply highlight the need to curb (or at least moderate) our consumption habits. We don’t need to quit coffee altogether, but we do need to consider how resource-intensive coffee is as a commodity and the impact of climate change. The question of consumption extends to other vital aspects of our lives, from the materials used in smartphones to our use of plastic bags. We often point out that knowledge is the most important principle regarding climate change. Knowing the impacts of our consumption habits, we can more easily find ways to change them. This can start with a simple cup of morning coffee.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.”
– Bertrand Russell, philosopher
CHART OF THE WEEK
This week we are looking at coffee in light of the conversation above. The growth in coffee consumption worldwide is staggering.
OUR VIEWS THIS WEEK
Smart Cities and AI: Remember when smart cities were everywhere? Plugged into the Internet of Things and flowing with data, smart cities were meant to be the cities of the future. So what happened? Writing for Technology Integrator magazine, Xische Director of Strategy Mary Ames tracks the evolution of smart cities and why the recent surge in AI capabilities is propelling smart cities back to the frontlines of urban innovation. Read it here.
Women in the 4IR: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s here, and it’s transforming the future of work. The coming transformation of labor could improve the position of women in the workplace. If we start a conversation about the role of gender in 4IR today, we can lay the groundwork for a more equitable future tomorrow. In this piece published by Xische, Mary Ames explores the issues at play. She argues that we must realize the invaluable perspectives women can bring to designing and regulating the future to explore the full potential of 4IR.
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Can Harvard be saved from ChatGPT? Universities worldwide are grappling with a difficult challenge: What steps can be taken to stop students from using artificial intelligence to cheat and ultimately deny themselves an education with real content? In a piece for Bloomberg Opinion, Adrian Wooldridge argues that British universities such as Cambridge and Oxford have already taken steps to solve this problem. Their American counterparts need to catch up, but is it too late?
Semesters for adults. Academic calendars are generally rigid. For a semester, goals are set, and tests are planned. After the semester, a break takes place before everything starts up again. What if adults adopted their own academic calendars? This bold idea is put forth by Vox in a piece that argues academic calendar can help us with goal-setting, time management, and motivation. We have heard stranger ideas.