Publisher: IRENA
Renewables have emerged as a major recipient of green bond proceeds. This brief highlights the need for more green bonds to drive sustainable, climate safe, energy finance.
The misuse of AI has led to wrongful arrests, denial of medical care, even genocide-this book offers 7 powerful principles that business can use now to end the harm. AI holds incredible promise to improve virtually every aspect of our lives, but we can't ignore its risks, mishaps and misuses. Juliette Powell and Art Kleiner offer seven principles for ensuring that machine learning supports human flourishing. They draw on Powell's research at Columbia University and use a wealth of real-world examples. Four principles relate to AI systems themselves. Human risk must be rigorously determined and consciously included in any design process. AI systems must be understandable and transparent to any observer, not just the engineers working on them. People must be allowed to protect and manage their personal data. The biases embedded in AI must be confronted and reduced. The final three principles pertain to the organizations that create AI systems. There must be procedures in place to hold them accountable for negative consequences. Organizations need to be loosely structured so that problems in one area can be isolated and resolved before they spread and sabotage the whole system. Finally, there must be psychological safety and creative friction, so that anyone involved in software development can bring problems to light without fear of reprisal. Powell and Kleiner explore how to implement each principle, citing current best practices, promising new developments, and sobering cautionary tales. Incorporating the perspectives of engineers, businesspeople, government officials, and social activists, this book will help us realize the unprecedented benefits and opportunities AI systems can provide.Show book
Urban transportation plays a pivotal role in shaping the economic, social, and environmental landscapes of cities. As populations grow and urban areas expand, the movement of people and goods becomes increasingly critical to maintaining economic vitality and quality of life. Urban transportation economics is the study of the costs and benefits associated with transportation systems, focusing on the ways in which these systems contribute to or detract from urban development. At its core, urban transportation economics examines the interplay between infrastructure investments, operational costs, and the benefits derived from mobility and accessibility. Transportation systems enable individuals to commute to work, access essential services, and engage in social activities, while also facilitating the movement of goods that support local businesses and global trade. However, these benefits often come with significant costs, including financial expenses, environmental impacts, and social inequalities. Understanding this balance is crucial for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders who aim to design systems that maximize positive outcomes while minimizing negative externalities. One of the key challenges in urban transportation economics is addressing the concept of externalities. Transportation systems often generate unintended consequences, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and noise, which affect the broader community. These externalities can lead to market failures, where the true costs of transportation are not fully reflected in the prices users pay. Conversely, transportation systems can also produce positive externalities, such as increased economic activity and improved social cohesion, which are not always adequately valued. Striking a balance between these opposing forces is an essential component of transportation planning and policy.Show book
Nursing is more than just a profession; it is a calling that blends compassion, science, and clinical expertise to promote health and well-being. As one of the most trusted professions globally, nursing plays a critical role in the healthcare system, directly impacting patients' lives and outcomes. This chapter provides an overview of nursing careers, introducing the diverse roles within the field and the various paths one can take to become a nurse. Nurses are at the heart of patient care, often serving as the bridge between patients and other healthcare professionals. They are involved in a wide range of activities, from administering medications and performing clinical procedures to providing emotional support and educating patients about their health conditions. Nurses work in various settings, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, community centers, schools, and even patients' homes, adapting their skills to meet the specific needs of each environment. Nursing has evolved significantly over the years, transforming from a vocation focused on basic patient care to a profession that requires advanced education, specialized training, and critical thinking skills. The modern nurse is not only a caregiver but also a leader, researcher, advocate, and educator. This evolution has opened up new career opportunities within the field, allowing nurses to specialize in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, critical care, mental health, and public health, among others.Show book
Sex, after hunger, may be the most powerful motivating force in our lives. It drives us to seek intimate contact with others and to form relationships that may be fleeting or lifelong, blissful or troubled. Yet many mysteries surround sex and sexuality: Why don't we reproduce by virgin birth? Why does so much of our sexual behavior have nothing to do with reproduction? Why isn't everyone heterosexual? How does the brain create sexual arousal? How do sexual kinks develop? Is porn harmful? What is the relationship between sex and love? In Attraction, Love, Sex, Simon LeVay introduces listeners to a memorable cast of researchers trying to answer these questions and many more. A biologist dredges a New Zealand lake for asexual mud snails. Psychologists measure whether eating a good meal changes a man's idea of female beauty. Physiologists place lovers in brain scanners. Geneticists reconstruct the sex crimes of Genghis Khan. Neuroscientists create mice whose sexual behavior can be switched on and off. A zoologist traps and releases 260,000 voles and launches a new science of love. LeVay distills vast expertise on the biology and psychology of sex into an engaging and easy-to-understand survey. This book reveals how scientists are unraveling the secrets of sex and, in the process, shattering many traditional ideas and prejudices.Show book
To celebrate the 100th issue of Cosmos magazine, we’re exploring reasons to hope Does thinking about the future inspire fear, or excitement? This issue, we report on the amazing science helping to cure, conserve, and create solutions for the years and decades to come. We revisit Cosmos’ own fearless science predictions from almost 20 years ago, as well as delivering bold forecasts on what we should be expecting next.Meet the chemists transforming their field into something clean, green and planet-savingLearn about the cutting-edge researchers fighting back against antibiotic resistanceCosmos future predictions: what did we get right? What was wrong? And what comes next?Discover how the syntheverse will harness AI’s potential to improve our livesVisit the charismatic mountain pygmy possum and read about its surprising relationships and possible path to resilience. All this plus pictures, puzzles, poison potential and more. Cosmos: explore your universe with us.Show book
If you want to jump into the DevOps space you need to understand the lingo. Here are 5 you must be familiar with:The GoalThe Phoenix ProjectContinuous DeliveryThe DevOps HandbookAccelerate These five are summarized here to give you the DevOps terminology and understanding.Show book
