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Statistic of the week

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    The projected increase in global plastic production by 2040 based on current trends

  • In the week of Earth Day, the UN is looking to tackle the plastic problem through a new treaty, the UN Plastics Treaty
  • Negotiations take place this week to “End plastic pollution; [and move] Towards an internationally legally binding instrument” to mitigate the production and consumption of high-risk plastics
  • Action is essential-if none is taken plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could almost triple by 2040 (from 2016 levels) to up to 37 million tons per year

About the Institute

The optimistic, humble convenor

The UBS Sustainability and Impact Institute provides our best thinking on the world’s most important sustainability challenges. It convenes a diverse group of leading voices to explore these problems and propose potential solutions, and in so doing seeks to catalyze collective action and capital toward a more sustainable future. The Institute was established in 2021 to support UBS’s ambition to become a global leader in sustainability. It aspires to be the priority source for information and knowledge on macroeconomic trends that relate to sustainability and impact and to provide a platform for constructive discussion by engaging investors, regulators, academics, and businesses.

The Institute Forum

The Institute also established the Institute Forum to promote objective, fact-based debate with both internal and external experts on the most critical issues and trends related to the future of sustainability and impact. The Forum brings together a dynamic network of leaders and subject matter experts within their fields across the scientific, health care, public policy, academic and activist communities. Selected for their particular areas of expertise and differing approaches to problem solving, they all share a common and unwavering commitment to advancing the field of sustainability.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His research has covered welfare and development economics and the economics of technological change.

Katharine Hayhoe, Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and the founder of ATMOS Research, a group which provides state-of-theart analysis on climate-related data to enable non-profit organizations, cities, states, businesses, and federal agencies to build resilience and prepare for a changing climate. Katharine was named as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021.

Fiona Reynolds, Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia. She is a former CEO of Conexus Financial and the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, from 2013 – 2022. During Fiona’s time as CEO the organization’s membership grew to over 5,000 firms representing over USD140 trillion in assets under management.

Peter Bakker, President & CEO at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Peter leads a community of over 200 sustainable businesses working collectively to accelerate the journey to net zero.

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