A new report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that unless countries reduce their fossil fuel emissions by 43% in the next decade, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will be out of reach. 

Scientists say that if Earth’s temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the effects of climate change will be catastrophic — including natural disasters, drought, famine and rising sea levels.

In 2010-2019, global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history, though the rate of growth has slowed. North America leads the rest of the world with the most greenhouse gas emissions, followed by Europe and Eastern Asia.

The IPCC says there is still time for governments and the energy sector to take action to limit global warming by 2030. The decreasing costs of batteries and solar and wind energy and the increasing laws governing energy efficiency are steps in the right direction. But preventing the worst effects of climate change will require major transitions in the energy sector from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources like hydrogen.

Community colleges in the U.S. have seen a steep enrollment drop: 750,000 students have left two-year colleges or decided not to enroll since the pandemic began. Instead, students are flocking to programs or degrees that teach skilled trades, including agriculture, HVAC and automobile repair, and construction.

Over the last two years, approximately 1 million fewer students overall have enrolled in college — both four-year and two-year — according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community colleges have been most affected, with an enrollment drop of 13%. 

Barriers to college increased during the pandemic, as hourly workers were laid off, children switched to remote schooling from home, and students tried to learn virtually from potentially disruptive environments.

Skill-based and technical programs have been the exception; across the U.S., associate degree programs in areas such as agriculture have continued to attract students. Workforce training programs that teach specialized skills like medical technicians, construction inspectors, electricians, and more have also been in demand as labor shortages continue. And while workers with degrees from four-year colleges often out-earn workers without, a recent study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that 28% of workers with associate degrees earned more money than half of all workers with bachelor’s degrees.

Investment in artificial intelligence was up 108% year-over-year in 2021, with $66.8 billion in global funding for startups. Healthcare AI accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total funding, CB Insights reports.

The average AI deal size increased 78% from last year. Companies based in the U.S. and China led AI deals and funding, raising $10.5B (273 deals) and $4.4B (268 deals) respectively in the fourth quarter of 2021. A record number of new AI unicorns, 65 companies, reached $1 billion or more in valuation in 2021. In Q4 alone, there were 10 new AI unicorns globally, bringing the total number of billion-dollar AI startups to 125.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped contribute to growing investment in healthcare AI, which made up 18% of AI’s total funding last year. Healthcare funding nearly doubled, with startups raising $12.2B in 505 deals for the whole year. The U.S. led in healthcare funding in Q4 2021 with $2.6B, followed by Asia $0.7B, and Europe with $0.3B.

With such large increases in investment, companies will, more so than ever, need to assess the risks of AI integration — especially in applications that aim to address broad societal health challenges.

Five hundred companies have withdrawn their business from Russia since the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but some companies have continued business as usual. 

Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team at the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute are tracking how many businesses have withdrawn and which are still operating in Russia. The team assigned each business letter grade, from A to F, based on their level of operations in the country. 

Sonnenfeld says the list has helped CEOs convince their boards to join responsible business leaders in leaving Russia, but that he has refined the list over time. The new list, with five categories, reflects that some businesses in the “asset-light” sector have an easier time withdrawing completely than, say, automobile or tech companies with large workforces in Russia or investment-intensive manufacturers. 

But other companies, particularly those in the last three categories, he says are using the idea of withdrawal, the necessity of their production of “essential” goods, or “humanitarian commitments,” as a smokescreen while continuing substantive business operations.

Half of Americans — no matter where they fall on the political spectrum — say that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine significantly threaten U.S. interests, according to a survey by Pew Research Center. The survey, conducted in March, marks a substantial change from before the invasion; in January, only 26% said that Russia’s military presence on Ukraine’s borders posed a threat to the U.S. 

Nearly equal numbers of Democrats (50%) and Republicans (51%) agree that the invasion is a “major threat” to American interests. Both Democrats and Republicans also support continuing strict economic sanctions on Russia and working closely with allies to respond to the conflict.

That’s where bipartisan agreement ends — Democrats (80%) are much more likely than Republicans (57%) to say that the U.S. should admit thousands of Ukrainian refugees. There is a wide partisan gap between those who support President Biden’s response to the crisis, with Democrats largely approving of the Biden administration and Republicans mostly disapproving.

Over one-third of Americans (35%) support U.S. military action, even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia. A much larger percentage (77%) favor keeping U.S. troops in NATO countries near Ukraine.