Humanity is edging along a tightrope that is in danger of becoming the noose that strangles it out of existence. Right now, at least 20 wars or conflicts are ending lives and destroying countless futures worldwide. Up to 780 million people around the planet are going hungry, according to UN figures released in 2023. Weather extremes are becoming weather norms. And in the midst of it all, the world is facing its biggest ever election year, with 50%+ of the global population heading to the polls in 2023.
Happy New Year!
What in some parts of the world is called shit life syndrome, when poverty and abuse destroy all semblance of hope in people, threatens to morph into shit world syndrome, a collective loss of hope in the idea that a better world is possible. It feels like a spectrum of pain – and yet most people still believe that better is possible. All the ingredients are there, and if we stop chucking them all over the floor, turn them into what’s good for all of us, we can perhaps rebuild some genuine hope in the future.
By investing in areas this magazine has long advocated for: purpose-driven innovation, scalable solutions that can deliver a just transition, and policies that are good for people and the planet, we can make the Segway.
And there are signs that these investments are being made, way too slowly, but momentum is everything. Organisations like the K4I Forum in the European Parliament (K4I Forum), and the newly launched global alliance: Allied4Future (AF4) are driving the momentum.
Inside this edition, we look at the impact these two organisations are making and reveal their vision for a better future. Operating at the heart of Europe’s innovation ecosystem, the K4I Forum’s influence in creating milestones moments of progress, like the adoption of the New European Innovation Agenda and the advancement of the European Green Deal, is clear. What it, and A4F, plan to do next promises to produce even bigger payoffs, not just for Europe but the world.
Two landmark global events held in December also offer hope. The European Innovation Area Summit, which took place in the European Parliament, led by the K4I Forum; and COP28 in Dubai, which was covered extensively by AF4, in partnership with OnePoint5Media. These types of events are routinely dismissed by the public as nothing but talking shops, junkets to nowhere. But the pledges and commitments at both of these events, to take real action, indicates that the world might be wisening up and looking to step down from the tightrope and onto a more verdant footing.
Iain is a creative writer, journalist and lecturer, and formerly an editor of two international business publications. Iain is now editor of Innovators Magazine, as well as the strategic content director for OnePoint5Media.
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