The time to start building better is now. Population growth and rising demand for housing mean construction is expanding at a faster rate than efforts to reduce energy consumption. But only a tiny fraction of properties are carbon neutral. Next week I will be moderating a virtual panel discussion on “Constructing change".

Three inspiring innovators, leading the way for a sustainable ocean economy, have won the World Ocean Initiative’s Ocean Changemakers Challenge, supported by Destination Canada. The competition aims to showcase the outstanding changemakers—mainly early-career researchers or professionals—working to develop business solutions to ocean-related sustainability challenges.

Tomorrow I will moderate Economist Impact’s Sustainable Cities Talk. According to data from the World Bank, cities are already home to 56% of the global population—and that percentage will continue to grow in the coming decades. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that cities also contribute to 75% of global carbon emissions.

COP27 represents the last realistic chance to adopt decisive climate action to limit global heating to 1.5°C. The Egyptian COP27 Presidency has set four key focus areas: mitigation, adaptation, finance and collaboration. In a new preview on Economist Impact’s Sustainability Project platform I explain why COP27 is a critical event for climate action.

Consumer companies have talked about sustainability for decades, but the need for immediate action has never been stronger. Join me and industry leaders in this webinar to hear about a new study we just released that explores the potential of collaboration to scale sustainability initiatives.