Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 4 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 4(2023) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»
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WHERE ARE WE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Italy is a country where discussions about food are often central to any conversation, including here at the Impact Week. On the first day of the conference, participants listened to presentations by impact entrepreneurs who offered solutions in the field of inclusion, climate, health and other areas. As part of his presentation, Paolo Di Croce, director of the Slow Food movement, asked the question: Which fresh food product yields the highest profit margin? After listening to several answers, he revealed the correct one — a fresh salad, and highlighted the ‘fresh salad paradox’: while we complain about the high cost of organic food, many still purchase fresh salad in plastic boxes from supermarkets, paying 5–7 times more than they would at a farmer’s market. We justify this by claiming a lack of time to wash the salad, yet ironically, many Italians, distrusting of producers, wash the supermarket salad again. Consequently, we end up spending twice as much time and five times more money! This paradox is not limited to salad; it is a reflection of broader societal tendencies.
As we gather less than seven years from the 2030 milestone, we face a sobering reality: only 15 % of global SDG targets have been met. This raises critical questions about our resource allocation. However, to maintain optimism, one impact investing fund recalls the rapid evolution of blended finance for climate solutions:[95] just two years ago, it was merely a concept, but now we are witnessing real-world examples, albeit in their early stages. This positive dynamic sparks hope, but the pressing questions remain: Will we achieve our goals in time, and how crucial is it that we do?
What kind of resources are needed to withstand a global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees?[96] Conference speakers noted that many so-called nature-based solutions[97] are new and untested. The challenge is, on the one hand, to test hypotheses, and on the other hand, to scale solutions that show the first results and a clear environmental impact. This is why the concept of blended finance is so important: it is necessary to mobilize private investment in solving this global problem by providing a guarantee to investors in the form of a cushion of public capital.
James Mansfield, managing director of Finance Earth in the UK, gave an example of blended finance project in the environmental technology sector: the company raised £30 million of public funds to invest in new promising climate solutions, which acted as a catalyst for private investors who had not previously worked in the climate sector. The company also organized an accelerator for entrepreneurs and helped them refine their business models and be ready to attract additional investments. The catalyst function of the governmental and philanthropic capital for private investors is the essence of the concept of blended finance. It was in the UK that the so-called Social Impact Bonds[98] appeared a few years ago, an instrument that subsequently spread throughout the world.
Before delving deeper into these topics, let us celebrate the involvement of youth at the conference. In an early session of the day, we saw 15 young individuals trained in impact investing purpose and tools presented; their task now is to create youth initiatives with investment potential. Their participation stemmed from genuine concerns about the future — fears of losing access to fresh air, water, nature, and the impacts of climate change and human conflicts. Yet, their eagerness to learn and act now is a testament to their desire to shape a world they want to live in.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, FEMININITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH. WHAT IS THE SECRET OF SYSTEM CHANGES?
The first session of the conference was called Big Conversation which gathered three top officials of large businesses and foundations as speakers. The session took place in an unusual format: when asking a question, the moderator threw the ball to one of the speakers, who answered it and passed the ball to his colleague on stage. In this dialogue, the speakers raised several relevant issues.
The first day’s major debate centers on the AI dilemma: Will AI be our downfall or advance our society? Can it help us overcome pressing challenges, or will it exacerbate them? Will it lead to widespread job loss, or enable us to focus on creative tasks while AI handles the mundane? But what about the fact that AI translates stereotypes and is generally biased?
The moderator of the session, also CEO of the Laudes Foundation, Leslie Johnston, recalled that earlier in 2023, the Center for Artificial Intelligence Security released an open message signed by the CEOs of key companies in the field of AI (Open AI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, etc.), which contained just one sentence: “Reducing the risks of extinction from AI should be the same global priority as other risks to society as a whole, such as pandemics or nuclear war.” The first speaker of the session, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President of the National Transformation Partnership at Microsoft Corporation France, taking the ball from the moderator, assured the audience that, having spread throughout the world, artificial intelligence will not remain free for long — governments will begin to regulate his presence, just as in the last century they established the rules for cars on the streets. On the issue of job loss, the expert cited interesting statistics: in 80 % of areas of activity
