Innovative Tools to Safeguard Public Health Against Heatwaves Worldwide

Due to climate change, the intensity and frequency of extreme heatwaves have increased in recent years, becoming a serious threat to public health and ecosystems, in addition to their negative repercussions on various aspects of life and the economy. In response to this challenge, authorities in Australia, the United States, and Hong Kong have launched innovative initiatives to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. These solutions focus on enhancing resilience in dealing with high temperatures through various measures that combine technology and practical tools, including proactive measures, readiness, real-time data, and effective public communication.

Extreme heatwaves are part of natural weather patterns, but they have become more severe, frequent, and longer-lasting due to climate change induced largely by human activities. Extreme heat, often referred to as the "silent killer," poses a threat to communities in many parts of the world. It increases the occurrence of heat stress, heatstroke, and other heat-related illnesses, especially among vulnerable individuals including children, the elderly, and people with certain health conditions. Extreme heat also has other negative effects, such as reducing work productivity, particularly for those working outdoors, as well as straining energy systems and harming ecosystems. Due to its encompassing impacts, extreme heat can exacerbate social inequalities, affecting low-income communities that may lack access to proper adaptation methods for cooling or healthcare coverage.

In response to the risks posed by this challenge, which urban areas are particularly vulnerable to due to the heat-retaining properties of asphalt streets and concrete and glass buildings, the Melbourne City Council in Australia launched an initiative in partnership with a technology-based startup specializing in weather monitoring. The initiative involves the development of a digital platform through which real-time weather data and temperature conditions in various Melbourne neighbourhoods are collected. This helps identify the locations most susceptible to extreme heat risks, contributing to setting priorities in a cooling strategy, taking into account the socioeconomic conditions of the residents.

As a component of a broader municipal effort to counteract extreme heat, this undertaking aligns with several other initiatives conducted by the city council. These initiatives include the greening of streets and neighbourhoods in Melbourne by planting approximately 3,000 trees to increase shaded areas and contribute to cooling. Another project focuses on collecting food and garden waste from homes with the aim of converting it into compost for use in the city's gardens and parks. This project has a dual benefit: by recycling the waste, it reduces the burden on landfills and their environmental impact. Furthermore, the municipality plans to involve more than 23,000 households in this project before extending it to include apartments in high-rise buildings.

The United States is also grappling with an exacerbation of extreme heatwaves, which statistics indicate have been increasing in frequency and intensity in its major cities. This trend has progressed from an average of two heatwaves per year in the 1960s to six in the past two decades, with growing severity and longer durations attributed to ongoing climate change effects. Naturally, this has led to a rise in health issues stemming from exposure to high temperatures. A study even revealed that heat-related deaths in the United States increased by an average of 1,373 cases per year between 2008 and 2017.

Consequently, dealing with this challenge has become a top priority for relevant authorities, necessitating innovative strategies and special preparations. In partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced the launch of a groundbreaking digital portal. This portal, the first of its kind, monitors and tracks ambulance service responses to health cases caused by extreme heat at the national level. It will enable local and federal authorities, through the presentation of various data related to these cases on a monitoring dashboard, to identify locations with higher injury rates. These areas can then be prioritized in strategies aimed at mitigating heat-related risks.

These strategies encompass the establishment of air-conditioned shelters or reception centres for residents during severe heatwaves and awareness campaigns targeting the most vulnerable groups. The portal will aid in identifying these groups by presenting data about the affected individuals, such as age, gender, and ethnic background. Additionally, it will provide valuable information to assist authorities in future planning, including the average time it takes for ambulances to reach patients and the percentage of patients transferred to medical facilities for further healthcare. This initiative underscores the commitment to safeguarding public health in the face of escalating heat-related challenges.

In Hong Kong, where the often high humidity exacerbates the impact of elevated temperatures on residents' health, the Ministry of Labour launched the "Heat Stress Alert System" earlier this year. This system employs a heat index specific to Hong Kong, factoring in relative humidity, solar intensity, and temperature. The ministry issues warnings to residents through a dedicated weather conditions app on mobile devices and the government's official website.

Depending on the severity of the heatwave, the system issues colour coded communications with the public. A yellow warning is issued to advise people to avoid prolonged sun exposure. This is followed by a red warning when the heat stress index reaches 30 to 32 degrees Celsius, and once the index hits 34 degrees, a black warning is issued, urging caution.

The primary aim of the system is to raise awareness of and protect outdoor workers who are most vulnerable to severe heat stress, such as construction and agricultural laborers. The ministry recommends that these workers take breaks ranging from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the warning level and the nature of their work. Employers are also encouraged to determine break schedules according to the intensity of the labour: light, moderate, high, or very high. Companies are prohibited from withholding wages during work stoppages or encouraging employees to work in exchange for financial compensation after the issuance of a warning. Employers are also required to monitor updates issued by the system hourly.

The key lessons from these initiatives, applicable to other countries and cities, emphasize the need for proactive adaptation to climate change challenges, the importance of real-time data preparation, collaboration among relevant stakeholders, prioritizing the most vulnerable groups, effective public communication, and the enactment of necessary regulations by regulatory bodies.

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Seoul Aspires to Become the Global Hub for Robotics

In the face of the population aging phenomenon and the shrinking workforce, the government of the South Korean capital, Seoul, is turning to robots to bridge the supply and demand gap in the local economy. They have started employing robots to provide services, support local developers' projects, and established a specialized research center. In doing so, they aim to harness technology to overcome serious challenges in their human capital.

Often, the best innovations are born out of urgent necessity rather than luxury. Therefore, countries facing the greatest challenges are likely to come up with the smartest solutions when a supportive environment for innovation is present.

South Korea is one of the most prominent examples of this. It has unique societal needs, the most prominent of which is an aging population, a declining fertility rate to the lowest in the world, along with a decreasing percentage of the population capable of working or willing to do so. As a result, an increasing number of Koreans are refraining from engaging in many professions they consider difficult, dangerous, or socially undesirable. This has led the manufacturing sector to rely increasingly on foreign labor.

The Economic Policy Division under the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Economic Policy Office believes that the city will enter the "ultra-aging society" phase starting from 2025. An aging population is a social and economic phenomenon characterized by an increase in the percentage of elderly people in society compared to other age groups.

This exceptional reality has compelled the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) to seek innovative solutions, especially in light of the new situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2008, the South Korean government has been studying the role of robotics technology in providing innovative solutions. They adopted proactive policies, established legal foundations, set up advanced research centers, and supported the private sector to boost robotics manufacturing.

As part of this journey, the government has developed several plans to promote the use of robots, the latest of which extended between 2019 and 2023, allocating more than 100 million U.S. dollars to produce 1500 robots for various industries.

Since Seoul's revenue represents 18% of South Korea's total robot industry revenue, it aims to become the largest market for service robots in the country. To achieve this, a comprehensive plan has been formulated that will continue until 2026, with a budget of approximately 153 million dollars. This plan is divided into three main areas, with the first one focusing on investments and aiming to provide financial support for the development, testing, production, and marketing of innovations to companies operating in this field, especially startups.

As for the second area, it is aimed at introducing robot services in healthcare facilities, social care, and child daycare centers, along with the establishment of specialized institutions to educate the public about these innovations, such as the Museum of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

Finally, the goal of the third area is to create Suseo Robotics Cluster, a startup and business venture hub supporting large-scale production of prototypes, safety designs, and product certification. The plan includes the construction of the Seoul Robot Tech Center in 2026, with the project expected to qualify 700 experts in this field by that time.

Examples of robot integration into daily life and service sectors are numerous. This includes their use in preschools to teach children basic skills, read books to them, and enhance their creativity.

This does not mean neglecting the older generations; on the contrary, there are robots designed to work with the elderly and assist them in using smartphones. These robots can help the elderly learn how to use various applications, and their numbers are set to increase from 240 to 500 by 2026. Currently, there are tests being conducted on using robots for delivery services, with the aim of legalizing this work later this year if the experiment is successful. South Korea sees this as a preparation for the future era where robots will handle these operations entirely.

In fact, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy plans to launch special robots to assist night police patrols in 2024, deploying them in public places such as libraries, museums, and parks to welcome people and provide them with information about the area.

As promising as it may seem, this transformation comes with significant economic challenges that should not be underestimated. One of these challenges is the threat of robots replacing many professions and widening the economic gap among people. However, Seoul authorities are working to bridge this gap by preparing the workforce for the jobs of the future, making it a wide and attractive market for job seekers and experts. This means addressing the issue of unemployment on one hand and ensuring the attraction of expertise to remain at the forefront of the robotics technology race on the other.

On the legal side, there are many challenges, especially regarding accountability, privacy violations, and safety standards. Therefore, the authorities in the capital plan to open a specialized research and testing center to develop unified practice procedures based on regulatory frameworks. This will balance innovation and the protection of citizens' rights.

At that point, the South Korean government will face another, perhaps the most important, challenge: how people perceive and accept these robots. They are addressing this through awareness initiatives and giving people opportunities for interactive experiences to build trust with robots. For example, using robots in daycare centers means preparing the future generation to interact with technology as an essential part of life. Integrating robots in elderly care ensures that the older generation does not fall behind.

Today, South Korea ranks first in the world in terms of robot density according to the International Federation of Robotics report for 2021, with a ratio of 10% compared to employees in the manufacturing sector, which is 7 times higher than the world average.

Robot technology promises multiple benefits, from filling the labor gap to enhancing productivity and ensuring accuracy in sectors like manufacturing and healthcare. The Korean authorities see it as a driver for the growth of future industries and a solution to current social challenges. All of this means contributing to a safer and more prosperous lifestyle for citizens. However, challenges associated with such transformation should be addressed carefully to avoid deepening social and economic gaps.

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France Introduces National Label to Combat Food Waste

Driven by environmental commitment and social responsibility, the French government seeks to find solutions for food waste by educating consumers, considering them as the key to solving the equation. Laws have been enacted obligating institutions to donate surplus food, and a national label has been awarded to entities demonstrating greater dedication in the journey against waste.

Unlike other living species, food isn't just a means of survival for humans; it carries cultural heritage and present in social and recreational occasions. Perhaps this perspective on food has contributed to the global food crisis and the stark contradiction between countries suffering from famine and those wasting food.

France appears to be a prime example of this ethical and humanitarian dilemma. It produces over 10 million tons of food waste valued at 16 billion euros. According to estimates from the Agency for Ecological Transition, the average French citizen wastes around 30 kilograms of food annually, with 23% of this waste being unopened packaging. In the private sector, thousands of tons of organic waste are produced each year. Companies in the food and hospitality sector alone dispose of approximately 33 kilograms of food daily, equivalent to 50% of all meals in restaurants serving 150 meals a day.

The challenge lies in the fact that food production requires a staggering amount of resources, including water, energy, and labour. This is not to mention the costs associated with transportation, packaging, processing, and storage. When food goes unconsumed, it is left to decompose, releasing greenhouse gases. In France, this food waste contributes to about 3% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, wasted food isn't just a missed economic opportunity; it represents a depletion of the planet's resources and capacities, both in its production and disposal.

Recognizing this issue, the French government took action. This challenge had been on the French government's radar for years until 2012 when the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, and Sustainable Development imposed regulations on the private sector regarding the recycling of organic waste. This encompassed grocery stores, agricultural food companies, and restaurants, with penalties for violations reaching up to 750,000 euros.

France is actively exploring various approaches that involve all stakeholders in its fight against food waste. In 2013, they introduced the National Pact to Reduce Food Waste, which the government described as a "collective commitment to combat societal excess in consumption and regain purchasing power."

The following year, the government launched the National Waste Reduction Program, encompassing 54 measures aimed at achieving a balance in waste production. In 2016, a law was enacted that prohibited grocery stores from disposing of unsold food products or those approaching their best-before dates and mandated them to donate such items.

These efforts also included clarifying misleading labels on food products. Phrases like "usable until this date" and "for best quality, use by this date" were clarified and distinguished from each other. The former is associated with safety and is usually placed on perishable goods, while the latter indicates the period during which the product retains its highest nutritional value and best taste. The expiration of this date does not necessarily mean the product is spoiled. This is the concept that the government aims to educate consumers about to reduce the waste of perfectly edible food.

Following these efforts, France passed the Circular Economy Food Waste Law in 2020. According to this law, by the year 2025, food waste must be reduced by half compared to 2015 levels in terms of distribution, food services. As for consumption, production, processing, and commercial catering services, this goal will be achieved by 2030. This will be accompanied by a gradual phase-out of single-use plastic packaging by 2040.

Additionally, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy Transition, introduced the "National Waste Label." This label is awarded by accredited certification bodies to institutions based on their compliance with food waste reduction goals. These institutions include retail stores, dairy products, vegetable and meat producers, commercial restaurants, bakeries, and more, with the potential to extend to the food agriculture sector. Depending on the institution's performance, it can receive one, two, or three stars for commitment, excellence, and exemplary performance, respectively.

In the capital city, Paris, the government initiated a program for recycling organic waste instead of discarding it. This program involves distributing 7-liter bins for waste sorting, accompanied by instructional guides. It assists 120,000 individuals (the target in its initial phase) in collecting waste and converting it into fertilizers or sending it to specialized facilities that transform it into heat, electricity, or organic fuel.

As a member of the European Union, France is committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including reducing individual food waste by half by 2030. The European Commission is working on legally binding targets after evaluating the situation in member states and monitoring the measures taken.

These efforts faced several challenges, with notable ones being infrastructure and logistical requirements for donation processes. Many charitable organizations were unable to cope with unexpectedly large quantities of food due to a lack of refrigerated trucks and sufficient storage space, especially for perishable goods.

Moreover, differing work schedules and staff capacities between for-profit and non-profit institutions posed another challenge. Grocery stores' donation timings typically overlapped with the closing hours of charitable associations.

The cost of sorting, storing, and transporting materials is not insignificant, adding to the bureaucratic and regulatory burdens that many institutions complain about. To address this challenge, close coordination among stakeholders is essential.

The donation law mandated by the government led to the emergence of specialty grocery stores that sell products overlooked by retail giants. Additionally, corporate incentives for complying with the law will encourage contributions to resource conservation and food waste reduction. This will result in the establishment of a more sustainable and equitable system for all.

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Promoting Responsible Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Singapore 

Singaporean authorities have revealed a framework and a set of innovative testing tools that assist companies across various sectors in enhancing governance, transparency, and accountability in their artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

This pioneering initiative, launched by the "Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)" and the "Personal Data Protection Commission in Singapore (PDPC)", is named "AI Verify". It comes at a time when tech companies are rapidly striving to leverage the immense opportunities presented by the adoption of AI applications in various fields, despite the lack of mature global standards that mitigate the risks associated with developing such applications. These risks are part of the challenges the Singaporean initiative is targeting.

The framework and toolkit introduced by Singapore are currently available as "Minimum Viable Products (MVP)", meaning they contain enough features for testing purposes and can be revised to adapt to the feedback that companies provide. However, they are considered advanced in their design as the IMDA relied on international guidelines and principles concerning AI ethics in their development. These principles cover transparency, security, safety, fairness, and accountability. Additionally, the IMDA identified six main risks involved in adopting generative AI applications and presented a framework on how to address these risks, which include inherent cultural and demographic biases in application design, intellectual property rights violations, and more. Security testing and data management systems (including data privacy principles) were not included in this experiment since they generally have received considerable attention globally.

Nevertheless, the product does not aim to establish ethical standards as much as encouragee companies to test their AI systems according to the product's verification standards. It ensures that these systems and procedures genuinely perform as the companies claim that they do according to a set of AI governance principles and concepts adopted both internationally and locally in Singapore. In turn, the reports resulting from these tests contribute to increasing the transparency of company systems to investors, stakeholders, and customers, and bolster their confidence in private sector companies.

The tested application can be accessed through the cloud, which provides more protection, security, and ease of access. Currently, participation in the program is voluntary and open to companies wishing to conduct a self-assessment of their artificial intelligence applications, and benefit from published reports. The product consists of two elements: First, the governance testing framework, which defines the test standards and the required process; Second, the software tools used in conducting the technical test, which also record and save the results.

However, the team behind the “AI Verify” pilot faced some challenges that usually emerge in the efforts of regulatory bodies seeking to set standards for the commercial use of artificial intelligence. These challenges include defining a concept of fairness and setting a unified standard for it across different sectors, cultures, and contexts. Additionally, the rapid technological evolution of artificial intelligence in countless fields makes it challenging for the framework and accompanying verification software to keep pace with AI advancement. This requires continuous updating of product elements, which can be partially addressed by formulating and designing the product to be as flexible as possible, considering potential technological advancements. 

On the other hand, the product can benefit from crowdsourcing opportunities and collaboration with technology solution providers to identify and fill gaps. In addition, Singapore is planning to draw on open-source communities to enhance the application’s ability and minimize the risks of adopting artificial intelligence.

Through inviting global and local companies to participate in the "AI Verify" initiative, Singapore aims to achieve several objectives. The most important of which is benefiting from companies' feedback and recommendations in order to ensure that it can meet the needs of different sectors as they continue to harness AI uses in ways that foster trust with both internal and external stakeholders. 

Singapore also aspires to contribute to the development of globally recognized AI standards through the “AI Verify” initiative, especially as the developers of these standards take into account best practices worldwide. Singapore also seeks to facilitate interoperability between different artificial intelligence governance frameworks. Currently, it works with regulatory bodies and institutions developing global standards to achieve compatibility with existing frameworks, which provides opportunities to market local AI products and services to many foreign markets. Singapore also hopes to build a locally renowned community for testing AI applications in collaboration with like-minded industry leaders, policymakers, and civil society, ensuring its initiative aligns with the AI sector's requirements and gains the trust of relevant parties.

Different companies can benefit from AI Verify, especially owners of artificial intelligence systems who are keen to verify the performance of their systems based on globally accepted rules and principles in AI governance. This also benefits technology solution providers, AI application developers, and researchers wishing to submit new testing algorithms and models to the Media Development Authority. The product is also suitable for technology service providers wishing to offer consultancy services in AI testing to their clients, as well as companies looking to integrate the product with their services.

The IMDA hopes that the cumulative efforts associated with the product will eventually facilitate its emergence as a benchmark in the field of AI ethics.

It is worth mentioning that the Singaporean government has been adopting artificial intelligence applications for many years, leading it to work with more than 60 local and international companies and institutions to develop the "Model AI Governance Framework". This framework is well-received across various sectors, especially the financial and health sectors, where Singapore is actively adopting AI applications. 

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Lessons in Circular Economy from the Finish Experience 

In the past few years, Finland has become a hub for circular economy. The country aims to curb the use of natural resources by 2035 and has committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2035. The road towards this goal cannot be reached without circular economy. Finland outlined a clear circular economy roadmap guided by supportive policies and legal frameworks, financial and technical aid, a collaborative ecosystem, integration of sustainability in education and societal support.

Nature operates under a circular model where every ecological system interacts with matter based on cyclical movements. This means that the waste of one living being becomes the sustenance for another. When the latter expires, it in turn nourishes the soil in an unending cycle.

Although, for ages this approach has proven effective, after the industrial revolution, humanity has increasingly adopted a linear path of consumption. This linear pattern is based on a simple principle: take, make, and dispose, which is incompatible with the planet's finite resources. Decades after such excessive linear model of consumption, many governments have started to realize its limitations, especially in the light of urbanization and population growth. It has become clear that pursuing more sustainable models is critical for preserving the earth’s ecosystem and combating climate change. 

In the last ten years, the Finnish government has invested considerable efforts spanning in sustainable and inclusive economic practices, in which it collaborated with policymakers, research institutions, and a dynamic private sector. Guided by the Finnish Innovation Fund, an independent public institution operating under the direct supervision of the National Parliament, Finland was the first country to set a national roadmap for circular economy. The roadmap outlines the necessary steps, measures, and transformations necessary to achieve a circular economy, as well as gathers stakeholders' opinions, and assists the government in securing adequate funding for projects, startups, research, and innovations.

Perhaps one of the most prominent lessons governments can draw from the Finnish experience is promoting a culture of environmental responsibility and cultivating a societal understanding of the concept of finite resources. Even before the popularization of the term "circular economy", Finland was engaged in developing circular solutions. It formulated policies and plans to encourage a culture of sustainability through all stages of the educational system. In addition, the private sector in Finland provides students with practical opportunities to familiarize themselves with business sustainable applications in real life, including those of the circular economy.

Many people mistakenly believe that a circular economy simply means recycling used materials. In fact, circular economy is much more interdisciplinary and encompassing than that. It intersects with various fields, including public administration, business activities, and the arts and humanities. Circular economy aims to replace current excessive production and consumption patterns with sustainable ones, such as developing and deploying sustainable energy production to regulate the use of natural resources. Finland, for example, has harnessed waste to generate energy.

To shift away from excessive product consumption, circular economy promotes the principle of sharing products and services. Finland has paved the way for several business models that enable product sharing, like renting furniture and equipment for limited periods. They also design products to have a longer lifespan, ensuring that they maintain their value and can always be repaired. This necessitates thinking deeply about the lifecycle of raw materials. Finland accomplishes this by offering incentives to companies that provide such products and imposing penalties on those that waste resources or adopt unsustainable practices.

One of the key lessons learned from the Finnish experience is the need to partner with the private sector and establish supportive frameworks to facilitate its transition from excessive consumption models to more sustainable ones. Finnish authorities organize workshops and programs that bring together the public and private sectors and support small and medium-sized enterprises. An example is the four-year program launched by Business Finland, a government innovation and financing organization, which allocated 300 million euros to support innovative experiments like the renewable farming pilot project. This involved over 100 farms collaborating to discover the optimal way to increase carbon sequestration in the soil. Their efforts led to the establishment of the Carbon Action platform, which supports the experimental field findings with laboratory research.

The Finnish government believes that finding solutions requires establishing a shared understanding and strong engagement across all members of society, as this should facilitate collaborative efforts across sectors. For this reason, it decided to target youth and launched educational initiatives to familiarize children and youth with the principles of circular economy, preparing the next generation of citizens, innovators, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. Starting from early education, children begin thinking about how they can reduce food waste and learn to sort and recycle different types of waste. As they progress, educational methodologies develop with them, extending into higher education.

It is worth noting that reaching desired outcomes in circular economy at a societal level required years of effort, as it initially began with modest and limited small-scale experiments.

Finland’s efforts do not stop there; the Finnish government aspires to share its experience with other countries. Towards this goal, they have developed guidelines to map out the various stages of their process and have launched the World Circular Economy Forum, an event that brings together leading experts, policymakers, and innovators to exchange knowledge.

Locally, the government educational initiative in circular economy (2017 – 2019) educated more than 70,000 children and youth in primary, preparatory, secondary, vocational schools, research universities, applied science institutions, and civil society organizations.

Finland has achieved significant outcomes over the span of a decade. Since the government designed a deposit refund system in which a sum is added to the price of beverages and is then returned to the consumer upon returning empty metal, glass, and plastic containers. People in Finland now recycle 95% of beverage containers. This is roughly double the global average according to the Aluminium Association. They also recycle 49.2% of electronic waste.

What is striking is that more than three-quarters of the Finnish people support their government and believe that it should continue this journey, even if the rest of the world lags behind.

Today, Finland’s waste generation (excluding primary metallic waste) amounts to only 7.4% of its total domestic consumption, compared to the European average, which is close to 13%.

Adopting a circular economy means preserving natural resources, reducing waste, promoting green innovation, and creating job opportunities. While the circular economy helps achieve sustainability goals, it also encourages community members to think beyond the linear consumption model.

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Cities Employ Data Analytics to Prevent Homelessness

After years of preventing homelessness, some local governments in Britain and America began to tackle the issue from a different angle. Instead of searching for the homeless to take them to shelters, they use modelling and data analytics to predict and assist those at risk of homelessness and help them before they lose their safety.

Between government glossaries and classifications and civil society organizations, one may find different definitions of homelessness, depending on language, social and economic conditions, cultural norms and the purpose of the definition.

It is difficult to capture the entire experience of homelessness, as it is not limited to the deprivation of shelter in the physical sense. For a true definition, it is necessary to reflect on the loss of social contact and the sense of belonging to ostracism and crime.

For decades, the governments of different countries, whether developed or developing, have tried to approach this challenge, which is being aggravated by climate change and the spread of the coronavirus. This caused an exponential increase in the number of homeless people in both Britain and the United States, as even the largest cities were not immune from the phenomenon of random camps due to economic inflation.

However, none of these attempts succeeded in finding a final solution, either because they did not give this issue sufficient attention, or they did not realise the tremendous impact that its solution would have. In the best scenarios, they did not possess the data or resources, or improve their management and participation, and they may still be following traditional mechanisms in providing social services, which prolong their duration and increase their complexity.

The biggest loophole in these systems remains that they are preoccupied with results, and the reasons are overlooked, in the sense that many local governments do not realise that someone faces the risk of homelessness until they are on the sidewalk after it is too late to intervene. 

Today, technology offers governments and human services agencies the opportunity to formulate a new concept in dealing with homelessness, which is simply to anticipate the problem by using predictive analytics that identify citizens at risk of losing their homes.

Maidstone Borough Council in the UK has pioneered a preventative approach to delivering social care using data analytics. With a number of partnerships, the council has developed a data and analytics tool called “One View” that collects data to identify local residents who are at risk of homelessness, allowing caseworkers to step in before those most vulnerable lose their homes.  

Looking ahead, there are plans for Maidstone to integrate its system with wider Kent, with the view to creating a more holistic understanding of those at risk of homelessness in the wider area.  

One View’s predictive analytic and natural language processing capabilities enables agencies in Maidstone to identify residents at risk of losing their homes and engage sooner. To do this, the tool brings together historically disconnected data sets within the council to provide early warning signs of those at risk of homelessness, such as missed utility payments or housing assistance.

A similar experience by South Bend, Indiana, which is using data analytics to get ahead of housing vulnerability. The city, in cooperation with Notre Dame University, is bringing together data on code enforcement, utility bill delinquency, and evictions and foreclosures to build a model that can derive insights on housing vulnerability in real-time and potentially predict which households are most vulnerable.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles County found scores of people through a predictive tool developed by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), researchers, which pulls data from eight L.A. County agencies, for example, how many people have been hospitalised, jailed, have experienced psychological problems, received cash or benefits, or free government services, to help outreach workers focus their attention and assistance on people believed to be at gravest risk of losing their homes. The predictive model being used in L.A. County uses an algorithm that incorporates about 500 features.

However, collecting data is not an easy endeavour, as obtaining some information - such as judicial information - can be a challenge, not to mention that any error in entering it will lead to an unrealistic and impractical model.

Another challenge highlighted by the U.S. experiences is that some evictions do not go through the courts and are not documented with any data. A related project focuses specifically on water delinquency – that is, people falling behind on their bills. The project is intended to identify the period of time in the water delinquency cycle where intervention is most helpful.

Governments are in the unique position of being able to utilise existing data that private organisations and non-profits cannot, and share this information with the right service providers to facilitate accurate, real-time decision making. One View was designed to pseudonymise and protect all personal data. If an individual is triggered on the system, their information is kept private and only the case worker assigned to that person has access to it.

As with any data approach, it requires staff buy-in to be successful and sustainable. For this reason, the One View platform was designed with a focus on the staff that would be interacting with it. 

Data alone does not provide a sustainable solution to homelessness; hence Maidstone updated its entire service delivery model, which meant retraining frontline caseworkers to interact with vulnerable families and individuals differently when they offer assistance now that they are seeing that bigger picture.   

During the pilot year, over 650 alerts were generated. Those who were identified as highest risk were provided with an early intervention service - of those, only 0.4% became homeless. Those who presented with lower risk factors went through the process that they normally would have gone through – of those, 40% become homeless.

During the height of the Covid-19 crisis, 100 households were prevented from becoming homeless and the overall rate of homelessness in Maidstone fell by 40%. The information available through One View enabled other benefits: the council generated £2.5 million in societal savings, the time spent on administrative tasks was reduced by 61 days and over 15 different data files were consolidated - providing a more comprehensive overview of residents while driving interagency collaboration. 

These tools provide social service agencies with valuable data to draw upon to help or guide residents to get help, keeping them in their homes and shielding them from one of the harshest human experiences. But by shutting down the source that annually generates increasing numbers of homeless people, governments will save many costs such as building and managing shelters.

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U.S. Adopts Automation to Accelerate Solar Projects 

To accelerate the pace to reach net-zero, the goal of the mid-twenty-first century, the United States government has devised a new way to reduce the burden of bureaucracy on owners of renewable energy projects, solar in particular, through an online platform that examines the project’s plan and automatically grants it legal permit, reducing transaction time from weeks to minutes.

At the 27th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), the US administration affirmed its adherence to the goals of the United Nations to solve the planet's crisis, achieving human, economic and environmental security, and reaching net-zero by 2050.

Ambitious targets, governed by a narrow window of time, that require intensive efforts involving tens of thousands of technicians working to create solar systems in all US states. The government has the additional goal of getting 100% clean electricity by 2035, a goal deterred by the realisation that any path the state takes towards climate neutrality must go through the decarbonisation of the electricity sector, which serves all other sectors.

Following this trend, solar cell projects have proliferated at all levels, small ones such as rooftop-mounted cells and large solar farms spanning large areas. Many owners of those projects have suffered delays owing to the complexity of the permit process. Also, this phenomenon varies from state to state, each according to its own laws and requirements. In some cases where the complexity of the procedures has reached its peak, companies become reluctant and residents stop even trying.

Solar permitting can be a major bottleneck for residential solar installations. That’s why the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) worked with local governments, building code organisations, permitting software providers, and industry partners to develop an online platform known as SolarAPP+ to enable instant local permitting of rooftop solar installations.

SolarAPP+ provides local governments with a standard portal for receiving and processing permit information for residential solar and solar+storage systems. The portal conducts an automated permitting review for safety and code compliance, enabling local governments that adopt the tool to approve solar permits instantly. Hence, SolarAPP+ instantly issues permits for code-compliant residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

The platform mainly aims to advance the goals of clean energy, as federal and local policies were not sufficient to achieve the desired results, nor were they sufficient to reduce equipment costs, as the solar energy accounts for about 3% of U.S. electricity. Also, the ease of installation processes is matched by the difficulty in obtaining government permits, which may take weeks or even months due to the complexity of bureaucratic procedures and the severe shortage of government personnel, which may cause frustration among homeowners and service providers alike.

This is only a small part of the waiting periods experienced by owners of major projects aspiring to build large-scale solar energy systems, as no investor may choose to freeze their financing for years, pending legal approvals.

SolarAPP+ allows developers to check code compliance of designs before submitting them for permit approval. If the application is related to the installation of a solar energy system in a house, it is estimated that issuance of the permit takes 15 to 60 minutes.

SolarAPP+ was tested in four communities in Arizona and California. The platform management continues to work with jurisdictions to come up with a standardised format for the processes and requirements that developers must meet to obtain permits.

To encourage local governments to use the application, the Department of Energy (DOE) launched a special prize for it and awarded it to the city of Denver, whose local authorities, represented by the Community Planning and Development Department, were the first to participate in DOE’s initiative, after granting permissions for nearly 3,800 solar energy projects in the previous year.

California, one of the active states in clean energy, launched an incentive programme called CalAPP, which provides grants and assistance for cities and counties to adopt the SolarAPP+. The initiative attracted dozens of local administrations in the state and reimbursed staff time along with the many resources a local authority needed to adopt the app.

Since its launch, the platform has granted permits to more than 10 thousand projects in different cities, saving more than 10 thousand hours. These figures are translated into a two-week reduction in the schedule for each project, which means a faster reduction of the cost of conventional electricity as well.

In the long run, it is hoped that this software will contribute to facilitating permit issuances and reducing red tape and bureaucratic procedures, saving time, effort and cost for citizens, local governments and service providers, and maintaining momentum in the United States of America's goal of decarbonizing the U.S. electricity grid by 2035.

References:

https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/us-seeks-speed-rooftop-solar-growth-with-instant-permits-2021-07-15/

Digital Transformation of Brazilian Financial Sector Boosts Financial Inclusion 

Brazil is witnessing a revolution in digital finance and an increase in the number of customers joining it, through a comprehensive government-led reform campaign that intensifies the use of technology, focuses on customer needs, renews regulations, develops instant fund transfer applications, and protects its citizens from high interest rates and fraud.

Digital transformation is associated with facilitating daily needs, especially in terms of health and money. The extent of reliance on financial technology in a country is subject to many overlapping data, and while this technology is making huge leaps in countries such as the United States and China, its steps are still timid in other countries, such as Brazil.

Brazil suffers from development challenges in recent decades, as it is witnessing severe levels of poverty and inequality, and this is one of the reasons why Brazilians are moving away from banks, especially since their banking sector is one of the most profitable sectors in the world, where the top five banks control nearly 80% of the loan market. That has made banking very expensive, with consumers often paying triple digit interest rates. On top of that, physical bank branches are available in few and distant locations, keeping limited hours and notoriously long lines, making them difficult and timely to access.

Besides its own challenges, Brazil faces other more general challenges related to government policies and regulations that may hinder innovation and create barriers to new business and ideas or small businesses.

Because innovation is a necessity, Brazilian authorities and the private sector are determined to lead the fintech scene in Latin America, accounting for half the continent's share of investments in this area.

To this end, the government has embarked on a set of comprehensive measures on the regulatory framework for payments, taking advantage of the digital revolution that began more than a decade ago to intensify the use of technology and encourage entrepreneurship.

First, Brazil’s regulator ended the duopoly enjoyed by the dominant credit card acquirers in the country. By introducing competition and reducing the fees that retailers pay for credit and debit card transactions, savings were passed on to the consumer, ending a period of supernormal profit for the acquirers. The incumbent banks who owned the acquirers were then forced to look for ways to replace these profits and grow in a more consumer-friendly way.

In the next stage, Brazil’s Central Bank became responsible for regulating the payments industry with a mission to ensure that all payment card brands were accepted by all acquirers, as well as launching programmes to increase financial citizenship and offer more affordable credit. 

The Central Bank then launched a law, which means adapting regulatory requirements to a company's size and complexity, so that authorities do not place a significant burden on small and uncomplicated financial institutions, so as not to restrict their competitiveness. This approach was followed by several facilities for fintech companies that eliminate the need for a banking intermediary.

Finally, the government launched Pix, an instant payments system operated by the Central Bank whereby consumers and merchants can send and receive money via a QR code to enter applications that will request information about the beneficiary's account and start the encrypted and round-the-clock transfer process, which it offers at a low cost compared to other options.

While the government and private sectors seek to design services that meet the needs of customers, they in turn have shown high enthusiasm and awareness in adopting innovative solutions. This is reflected in the completion of 70% of online banking services, and the accession of 16 million Brazilians into the financial system, according to official statistics.

At the current stage, Brazil's Central Bank announced the start of a digital currency pilot project, which will include buying and selling of federal public bonds among individuals - and its subsequent evaluation. The public use of the digital currency should begin at the end of 2024, after the completion of the testing phase.

As this journey continues, so do its challenges, most notably the creation of a formula for involving the various institutions of traditional and digital banks, financial technology companies and credit unions, with a variety of mechanisms, interests and organisational structures. This challenge the government has chosen to address by developing a detailed guidance manual that covers all the needs for the smooth operation of new financial options.

As for the second challenge, it was represented by the risk of data leaks resulting from the ignorance of many companies about digitisation, which increased security gaps, a problem that Brazil had already suffered from and led to the loss of nearly 40 billion dollars to Brazilians as a result of fraud. A challenge that provides an opportunity for start-ups to innovate protection solutions and modern tools.

The challenge of providing such services to all members of society remains, but the government is betting on its community, which has one of the highest Internet and smartphone usage rates in the world.

Across the world, there are more than 700 unicorns, and 12 of them are located in Brazil. That refers to start-ups whose capital exceeds one billion dollars due to the growth of their turnover regardless of their profitability, enabling them to carry out several rounds of funding and investment that raise their market value. If compared to China or the United States, the number of such companies may seem small, but they are the largest among Latin American countries.

The year 2021 witnessed a 66% increase in the number of digital bank account openings, with 85% of Brazilians having digital access to financial services, and this is the best pace of development in Brazil in decades.

Today, initiatives such as Pix offer seamless and secure experiences across industries. Brazil is arguably at the forefront of the Latin boom in financial inclusion, as the banking sector measures integrated with the digital revolution have increased competition, reduced bank fees and established an innovative financial system that suits the needs of citizens.

References:

Japan Bets Big on Hydrogen Towards Green Future

Japan has set ambitious goals for a carbon-neutral future, leading the charge towards an economically feasible hydrogen-based society. The country has established a comprehensive national strategy, embracing various initiatives such as the development of a global green hydrogen plant, the launch of the world's first liquid hydrogen carrier ship, the design of government support policies, and the establishment of international partnerships, all aimed at realising its 2050 vision.

In alignment with the global consensus on tackling climate change and achieving carbon neutrality, governments worldwide are actively devising innovative policies and solutions to explore alternatives and expedite the transition to clean energy sources.

Japan stands as no exception in its pursuit of a robust energy security strategy. Contrary to expectations, the country's energy self-sufficiency rate was relatively low, at approximately 20.3% in 2010. The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 further decreased this rate to just 6%. Despite rigorous government endeavours over the years, the rate showed limited progress, reaching 11.8% in 2018, without further improvement.

The challenge grew more complex as Japan accelerated its emissions reduction targets from 26% to 46% by 2030. The government recognised that hydrogen holds the key to future energy solutions, as projected by the World Hydrogen Council, which estimates the gas’s ability to cater to 18% of global energy demand by 2050.

Japan's primary goal is to develop hydrogen production schemes from renewable sources, often referred to as "green hydrogen." This entails creating the necessary infrastructure, offering legislative frameworks, and extending financial support to industries contributing to hydrogen and ammonia supply chains.


Beyond power generation and transportation, the government is leveraging its technological edge to pioneer new industries that utilise hydrogen. In 2017, Japan finalised the “Basic Hydrogen Strategy,” a three-phase programme for a step-by-step transition to a hydrogen-based society.

The strategy is set to include policies that facilitate government coordination for the production and utilisation of carbon-free hydrogen with a focus on cost-effectiveness. Additionally, it aims to address technological hurdles to establish hydrogen as a genuine counterpart to conventional energy sources.

For instance, in a significant step towards green hydrogen production, Japan inaugurated one of the world's largest hydrogen plants in 2020. Located near the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, this facility was built over a two-year period and is powered by a system of solar panels installed around its perimeter, generating 20 megawatts of energy. This energy is used to produce an impressive 1,200 cubic metres of green hydrogen every hour. The flexibility to use or store this hydrogen helps manage variations in supply and demand.

During the development of the hydrogen plant, the Japanese government launched the "Suiso Frontier," the world's first vessel designed for transporting liquid hydrogen, in partnership with the Australian government. The project is a component of the "Hydrogen Supply Chain" initiative, which boasts a substantial value of AU$500 million.

Furthermore, these two countries joined forces to generate hydrogen from brown coal. Japan's government earmarked more than $1.6 billion from the Green Innovation Fund for a project that transforms the coal found in Victoria's Latrobe Valley into gas, thereby triggering a chemical reaction between the resulting compounds and water, leading to the production of hydrogen. Although this approach might not achieve absolute emissions neutrality, its centralisation of production will help control pollution.

In line with their shared pursuit of clean energy development, Japan and the United States established a similar partnership. This same goal also motivated nine Japanese companies to come together and establish the Japan Hydrogen Association. The primary mission of this association is to foster international collaborations, establish robust hydrogen supply chains, and provide recommendations on government policies.

Chief among these policies was one drafted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in late 2022. This policy can be described as an interim plan to establish a supply chain by 2030. Under this framework, the government is set to offer financial aid to bridge the cost gap between hydrogen and ammonia, on one side, and fossil fuels on the other. This initiative is projected to span 15 years and entail a government expenditure of around $52 billion.

Japan is intensifying its efforts to ingrain hydrogen as a dependable energy source within the local culture. This commitment is evident from Toyota's launch of the world's first hydrogen- fuelled car to the fleet of hydrogen-powered buses traversing Tokyo's streets daily. Even the Olympics flame was lit using hydrogen during the global event, with vehicles transporting athletes and technical teams relying exclusively on this fuel source.

Despite these efforts, there have been criticisms and calls to expedite efforts to reduce carbon emissions and produce green hydrogen. The Japanese government, as customary, is responding by redoubling its efforts to build trust with a public concerned about the energy and climate crisis.

The government is also dealing with global challenges related to production and supply chains that could impede its vision. Regardless of how much it supports local hydrogen adoption, it cannot isolate itself from an international community that may not share the same momentum, especially given the associated high costs. For instance, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are considerably more expensive than alternative options, including electric vehicles.

Even within Japan, the number of hydrogen refuelling stations remains limited, though they boast rapid refuelling times of under 5 minutes, outperforming the one-hour recharge time of electric vehicles.

Japan's ambitions extend beyond climate concerns; the country aims to position itself as a formidable competitor in the clean energy market. This is confirmed by reports from the International Energy Agency and the European Patent Office, which indicate that Japan is on par with the European Union in hydrogen-related patents and innovations.

Furthermore, the combination of government support policies and international partnerships is poised to foster an environment conducive to competition, fostering the development of global value chains, and ultimately transforming hydrogen into a practical choice that yields economic advantages while ushering in a cleaner energy future.

References:

How AI Helps US Firefighters

Amidst the myriad hazards faced by firefighters, including building collapses, sudden intense blazes and relentless forest fires, several cities across the United States have turned to artificial intelligence to bolster safety measures. The goal is to prioritise the controlled demolition of aged buildings, provide strategic guidance to firefighting units, and even anticipate potential explosions stemming from severe fires.

Somewhere in the world, a firefighter is preparing to embark on a shift, joined by tens of thousands of individuals dedicated to one of the noblest yet most perilous professions. They are acutely aware that every day's routine work carries the potential for loss of life.

In addition to the risk of losing their lives, firefighters constantly grapple with the possibility of injury or the loss of comrades. Moreover, the psychological impact of their profession, which ranks among the world's most hazardous, cannot be overlooked. Frequently immersed in flames as they battle to quell them, or confronting toxic fumes as they rush into buildings to rescue those trapped within, they contend with ceilings and walls that may collapse abruptly, leaving little time to even tally potential victims.

This harsh reality is particularly evident in the United States, a nation dealing with one of the highest rates of both urban and wildfires. In 2022 alone, dozens of firefighters tragically perished due to the collapse of roofs. The most recent of these tragic events took place in Baltimore, Maryland, where three firefighters lost their lives as a consequence of a roof's collapse within one of the city's nearly 15,000 abandoned buildings. These structures, on the verge of collapse, remain irrevocably damaged and defy any possibility of repair. The prospect of their demolition is a formidable one, demanding substantial funding. Moreover, the decision to embark on this process is contingent upon factors such as area congestion and the availability of resources.

In the wake of this tragic incident, the Baltimore Housing and Community Development agency was compelled to re-evaluate firefighter protection methods. It sought to introduce more advanced solutions, with artificial intelligence at the forefront, in collaboration with Data Science for Social Good, a programme run out of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University.

This collaborative effort resulted in an innovative tool to predict roof collapses using algorithms that detect signs of structural deterioration. The algorithms draw upon existing regulations and data derived from multiple sources, notably geographic information systems and aerial imagery, as well as images obtained from previous agency initiatives. A notable instance is a workshop conducted in 2018, during which trainees analysed photographs of all abandoned structures, noting their unique specifications and shortcomings. These images became a cornerstone reference for the development of the AI tool, ultimately facilitating the identification of properties warranting demolition. This tool was seamlessly integrated with the computer-assisted dispatch system used to efficiently direct response teams.

In partnership with various institutions, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed FlashNet, a tool that leverages artificial intelligence to identify imminent flashover occurrences. Flashover, a hazardous fire phenomenon, occurs when almost all combustible materials within an enclosed space ignite simultaneously. Such instances tend to rapidly intensify at around 600 degrees Celsius, subsequently propelling temperatures to even higher levels.

The tool achieved an impressive accuracy of 92.1% with 30 seconds of lead time. However, this outcome is largely tied to familiar contexts, which contrasts with the dynamic nature of firefighting scenarios that often unfold in unfamiliar settings. Recognising this, researchers employed the tool to simulate numerous fire scenarios across 17 distinct structures, drawing from data gathered from approximately 25,000 past fires. These fires spanned various building types, designs, and diverse data points, including causes, furniture types, numbers of air outlets, and more. Moreover, the study encompassed the real challenges faced by firefighting teams, where details about the building and the raging fire within may be entirely absent. Ultimately, 16,000 instances were meticulously selected for the conclusive virtual testing phase.

In California, a similar experiment was conducted with a focus on forests. The government established a network of more than 1,000 high-definition, pan-tilt-zoom cameras positioned across the state and able to see up to distances exceeding 190 kilometres on clear days. These cameras are linked to a supercomputer centre at the University of California, where they relay real-time data feeds for modelling and predictive analysis. This setup enables the identification of the source of any smoke detected by the cameras.

While the value of developing an algorithm rooted in human experience and evaluation is undeniable, this approach is not without challenges. It demands considerable effort, thousands of labour hours, and substantial costs, rendering it unsuitable for consistent implementation. Instead, it remains confined to studies conducted every few years.

These innovative tools are poised to usher in a proactive strategy for addressing building collapses and wildfire incidents. Their potential lies in alerting responders and facilitating strategic operational planning. Notably, FlashNet outperformed five other machine-learning-based tools, producing the least false negatives. This achievement earned Baltimore a well-deserved countywide innovation award.

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