Week 19, Theme: Focus... All is Possible

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Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter! Here is a digest of LinkedIn+ posts that caught my attention this week.

Content Highlights

1. Week's Theme: Historic floods in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul

2. Post from my Network: Aurora borealis in Switzerland. Amazing : inspiring : strawsome!

3. Awards: Green Business Switzerland, ft. nominee ID Genève

Week's Theme

On May 6th, rains returned to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, exacerbating historic floods that have claimed the lives of 126 individuals, up from 113 earlier in the day. Over 340,000 people have been displaced, with 141 still missing, according to civil defense authorities. Heavy rains have caused rivers and lakes to reach record levels, disrupting logistics and triggering shortages of essential goods in affected areas.

Nearly two million people have been impacted so far, with forecasts predicting continued storms until Monday. Local scientists attribute the intensifying weather pattern to climate change. In Canoas, a severely affected city, over 6,000 individuals have sought refuge in a college gymnasium. The state government reports over 385,000 people without water services and 20 cities lacking telecommunication services. The federal government has announced aid measures, including expedited social benefit payments and cheaper credit for farmers and businesses, acknowledging the estimated 19 billion reais ($3.68 billion) required for reconstruction efforts. Source: Reuters

View pictures of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, here.

Switzerland is addressing urban flooding as a priority due to climate change. Historic floods in 1986 marked a turning point, but significant measures were delayed until recent years. Innovations like flood-dynamics tools and local flood-risk reduction devices are emerging, yet Switzerland's flood-protection infrastructure investment lags behind other nations, despite increasing urbanization. While traditional approaches persist, new tools like flood-damage potential mapping and devices like CENTAUR offer promising solutions. Pilot projects emerge, signaling slow but vital progress in flood resilience. Source: Swissinfo

What measures have been taken to prevent floods in your area?

Join the debate at Swissinfo

Highlights of Content Shared

• Insights from an EPFL study on demands for renewable energy in Switzerland. — View Post

• Web3 art exhibition at La Salle Restaurant. — View Post

Posts from my Network

• Robert Straw: Northern lights (Aurora borealis) in Switzerland. Amazing : inspiring : strawsome! — View Post

• World Economic Forum: The space #economy is expected to be worth $1.8 trillion by 2025. Astrophysicist Simonetta Di Pippo reveals the many ways #space is helping humans, from supporting disaster management to aiding #climate action. — View Post

• The Dolder Grand was honored with the titles of "Luxury City Resort Of The Year" and "Best Hotel In Switzerland" by Die 101 besten Hotels in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria! — View Post

• Art Basel shares how art collectors can support our changing world 🌎 — View Post

• NatureFinance published a paper on the bioeconomy potential among G20 countries, which has an estimated global value of US$4 trillion. — View Post

• Lufthansa Innovation Hub dives into four potential future scenarios that explore the development of metaverse technologies in the aviation industry and related use cases. — View Post

• Inacta Ventures calls tech enthusiasts in Zurich to join the Expand North Star x GITEX GLOBAL roadshow to Switzerland on Tuesday, May 28. — View Post

• NFT shares a PwC publication on NFT use cases and strategy for organizations. — View Post

• The UZH Blockchain Center shares the recent publication "Tokenization of the Common: An Economic Model of Multidimensional Incentives." — View Post

• Dario Albanesi is hosting a special fireside chat via DesignOps Meetup on "Design in an Era of Artificial Intelligence" with three amazing experts from the industry. — View Post

• Point Zero Forum highlights topics of its upcoming event including the future of digital money. — View Post

• The Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) reported that Schindler Group received a delegation from the Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and gave a glimpse of how future cities could look like and what futuristic elevator and living solutions the company is developing. — View Post

• McKinsey & Company shares how product design can yield triple wins. — View Post

• Gartner illustrates drivers & barriers of GenAI. — View Post

• Microsoft invites to a full-day event on Industrial Metaverse focused on HPC & AI, in partnership with NVIDIA. — View Post

• SAMBA - Swiss Association of MBAs is organizing its next monthly virtual investment roundtable on the topics of “Global Macro Situation" and "AI Application in Global Stock Selection”. — View Post

• The European Commission celebrates its 🇪🇺 flag & iconic emblem. — View Post

• Ursula von der Leyen was in Paris for a trilateral meeting with Presidents Macron and Xi. — View Post

• Gaetan Bucher shares that for corporations to be #profitable over the long term, #traceability needs to become a key component of nickel mining. — View Post

• Jakob Bosshard & Nicolas Weber: #web3 and #gaming narrative as the killer app for mass adoption. — View Post

• The World Economic Forum shares 3 recent technology stories. — View Post

• Marc Walder shared his experience at the gala preview of Mark Forster's latest film "White Bird". — View Post

• James Webb Discoveries shares a mesmerizing video, captured by NASA's SDO spacecraft, which condenses over a month of observations into 2 minutes! — View Post

• Philipp Boksberger discusses Forbes next edition: keynesianism, monetarism, ordoliberalism or new institutional economics were yesterday - today we talk about SWIFTONOMICS. — View Post

• Melinda French Gates discusses why she founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015— View Post

• Switzerland Convention & Incentive Bureau (SCIB) invites to an eco-friendly voyage on Lake Lucerne. — View Post

• Crypto Oasis shares Visionaries 2024! An exclusive showcase of the brightest minds shaping the future of the cryptocurrency landscape in 2024. — View Post

• Swisstainable – Schweizer Nachhaltigkeitsprogramm: The “Mountaineering Villages” label is an initiative of the Alpine clubs and recognizes small mountain villages with tourism offerings close to nature. — View Post

Awards: Green Business Switzerland, ft. nominee ID Genève

The Green Business Switzerland Award, chaired by Doris Leuthard, honors innovative companies that combine economic success with ecological impact. A unique selection process through national business associations and environmental organizations guarantees that the most convincing solutions are identified annually.

Behind the forward-looking cooperation between key players from business and environmental protection are, among others, economiesuisse, öbu - Der Verband für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, Pusch – Praktischer Umweltschutz, Swissmem, the Swiss Environmental Foundation, and WWF Switzerland.

Green Business Switzerland is involved in various formats:

• The “Green Business Award” annually realizes the best solutions in Switzerland that combine ecological innovations with economic success.

• The “Green Business CEO Rating” is the national barometer for the sustainability impact of the CEOs of the largest Swiss companies.

• The “Green Business Community” brings together Swiss pioneers of sustainable entrepreneurship. Leaders who demonstrate outstanding performance in the award or CEO rating are invited.

• “Green Business Global” brings Switzerland’s best solutions and leaders to the international stage: including at Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers.

Watch a video of the awards below.

Nominee: ID Genève

ID Genève produces environmentally conscious watches crafted from 100% recycled local stainless steel and plant-based textile straps, striving to minimize carbon footprints. Emphasizing short production routes and local manufacturing, their customer service platform extends product lifecycles. Pioneering the circular economy, their research lab drives innovation in the watch industry.

Catering to those advocating for future generations, their watches boast a carbon footprint 165 times lower than average, utilizing recycled wind turbine fibers and climate-neutral clock movements. Committed to sustainability, their bracelets feature organic materials or FSC-certified natural rubber, packaged in 100% home compostable materials. Their dedication to transparency and collaboration secures their position in the high-end watch industry, exemplified by partnerships with Watches of Switzerland in the UK and the US. Watch a video of ID Genève below.

Find further information about ID Genève here: https://de.idwatch.ch/

Thank you to my network for sharing valuable content with all of us! And, THANK YOU, for reading this newsletter feed!

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Wishing you a great weekend! 😎

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