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Entra in un mondo di storie

Ascolta e leggi

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

When taking a drink is as easy as turning a tap, it is easy to forget that our water supply is fragile and that hundreds of millions of people do not have clean drinking water or proper sanitation. The human impact on our land, the oceans and the climate is endangering our future. In a world accustomed to instant gratification and immediate consumption, we need more than ever long-term thinking and action to safeguard our natural resources.

Award-winning French photographer and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand reminds us that water is precious and that we need a new approach to protect the planet's vital elements.

This is the first essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank. The EIB has invited international thought leaders to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

European Investment Bank

Big Ideas

On Water

Robert Atkinson

Over the last decade, Europe and most advanced economies experienced a decline in productivity, leading to political unrest and rising uncertainty about the future.

A new production revolution, enabled in part by artificial intelligence (AI), is now emerging, bringing a new wave of technologies, but there are widespread fears that these changes also will bring a big rise in unemployment as machines replace human beings in big numbers.

History tells us that we should not be afraid of industrial change. AI will take over some tasks, but this will not happen all of a sudden and there will be plenty of work left for humans. Restricting or slowing down new technology will not help the world economy. Instead, nations need to help people adjust to more technically advanced jobs, while education should focus more on "21st century skills" such as teamwork and critical thinking. These are our next real challenges.

This is the second essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

Don't fear AI

Emmanuel Malabo Makasa

Many rural areas in Africa still have high maternal and infant death rates because there are no local surgeons. Many children drop out of school because their untreated disabilities prevent them from walking the long distances to classes. Surgery can help women who suffer after prolonged childbirth or restore eyesight for the elderly suffering from cataracts. Management of congenital disabilities such as a cleft palate guarantees better nutrition for children.

Emmanuel M. Makasa, a Zambian surgeon and representative to the United Nations, has been fighting for years to make surgery accessible to all people. He has a special interest in providing surgical access to rural communities in the developing world as well as helping physically challenged people lead a better life.

This is the third essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank. Previous essays addressed water security and artificial intelligence.

Health is wealth

Jeremy Rifkin

A green digital economy could change the future of the Old Continent. The new Smart Europe will be based on three elements: new communication technologies, new sources of energy and new modes of mobility. But the transition will require a transformation of the continental infrastructure.

Jeremy Rifkin, advisor to the European Union and main architect of the Third Industrial Revolution, has been promoting over the last few years the importance of this approach, enabling collaboration in "vast virtual and physical global networks to create a more ecologically sustainable and equitable quality of life".

This is the fourth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

Smart Europe

Mary Aiken

Internet is a real place. Every time we switch on our computers, use a program or an application, or log in to a social media site, we enter a virtual space made up of worlds, domains, forums and rooms. But we behave differently when we interact with technology: technology amplifies and accelerates our deeds; it can help us find useful information, benefit from a wide range of services and stay in touch with our friends, but it can also create addictive-type behaviours and subliminally manipulate us online.

Mary Aiken, a cyberpsychologist specialised in the impact of technology on human behaviour, warns us about cybersecurity: "We need a human-centred approach that is mindful of how humans actually use connected things and not how the tech sector presumes or expects them to".

This is the fifth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

Life in Cyberspace

Fatih Birol

There are two ways to look at renewable energy today.

On the one hand, falling costs and strong policies are promoting the rapid spread of solar energy and wind power all across the world. Solar power is one of the few bright spots among clean energy technologies as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. On the other hand, renewables make up only a fraction of global energy consumption. In the power sector, they still compete with fossil-fuel power plants; in the heat and transport sectors, which account for 80% of energy consumption, renewables still play a relatively marginal role.

The potential for increasing the role of renewables is massive: biofuels can be scaled up in transport, while bioenergy, solar thermal and geothermal energy can produce a larger share of heat for buildings and industry. Greater electrification, coupled with the increase in renewable electricity generation, is a key route to decarbonisation.

However, to realise this potential, strong policies, research, innovation and investment are needed. Only in this way will renewables be able to contribute to the emission reductions demanded by the Paris Climate Agreement and help us meet the Sustainable Development Goals, meant to provide access to affordable and reliable energy for all.

A bright future

Ellen MacArthur

Imagine an economy in which today's goods become tomorrow's resources and nothing is discarded.

Ellen MacArthur, the founder of her eponymous foundation, which works to accelerate the transition to a regenerative economy, writes that we need to stop living a "take, make, dispose" lifestyle. We need to think about a circular economy where waste and pollution are prevented, products are reused and natural systems such as agricultural land are regenerated.

This is the seventh essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

The virtuous circle

Bebe Vio

All athletes experience setbacks. But to have your limbs - the very tools you use to practice your sport - taken away by an illness at a young age is a setback that many would never overcome.

Bebe Vio never gave up her dream of becoming a fencer, despite having her arms and legs amputated when she was eleven years old after suffering from fulminant meningitis.

Instead of abandoning her dream of going to the Olympics, she began training for the Paralympics from a wheelchair. Her unwavering determination to win, despite her physical challenges, made her a world champion fencer. She also established her own association, art4sport, to encourage other people to pursue the beauty of life through sport.

This is the seventh essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

I have a dream

Massimo Bottura

Massimo Bottura is more than a Michelin star-winning chef. Together with Lara Gilmore, he also founded Food for Soul, a non-profit organisation seeking to reduce food waste through inclusion.

On the occasion of Expo 2015 in Milan and working in concert with Caritas Ambrosiana, Massimo Bottura opened Refettorio Ambrosiano, a new kind of community canteen where chefs from around the world cooked nutritious meals for socially vulnerable guests using surplus ingredients recovered from the Expo's pavilions. The project's success led Bottura to found Food for Soul in 2016 aimed at replicating the model in other communities. Since then, Refettorio Gastromotiva in Rio de Janeiro, Refettorio Felix in London, Social Tables in Modena, Bologna and Naples, and Refettorio Paris in the French capital have all opened their doors. Further canteens are planned across the globe.

This is the ninth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

Food for change

Spencer de Grey

By 2050, three-quarters of the world's 9.6-billion-strong population will be living in cities – inhabiting vibrant historic cores, commuting from new hinterlands via high-speed transit, or occupying informal urban settlements.

Some cities will flourish while others will struggle to meet the demands of a growing population and a changing environment. It will take the collaborative expertise of various disciplines, gathered under the umbrella of good governance, to ensure our cities thrive in the future. Spencer de Grey, Head of Design at Foster + Partners, explores the role that architecture and urban design can play in this global endeavour.

This is the tenth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

The EIB has invited international thought leaders to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

Common Ground

Javier Cercas

What is Europe? A continent fragmented through the centuries by wars, border conflicts and cultural diversity.

As Europeans, we do not have a common language or a common history, but we do have common roots, needs and ambitions. These similarities led us to fulfil what at the end of the Second World War could have been called a "reasonable utopia" — the European Union.

The Spanish writer Javier Cercas investigates Europe and Europeans, our past, the conflicts, the ideologies and the people who forged Europe as we know it today. Though no final answer to all the questions can be found, the conclusion seems inevitable: Europe will be unified, naturally, sooner or later, despite all the hostility.

This is the eleventh essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank. The EIB has invited international thought leaders to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

The vision and the path

Ivan Đikić

"We have made great progress, but we are still vulnerable and our common commitment to fight global health challenges is not yet strong enough. Despite our knowledge, despite new technologies, without concentrated and global efforts we are limited in our success. Today we see it clearly."

The sequencing of the human genome at the beginning of this millennium marked a new era in biomedicine. Nanotechnology and robotics have created innovative tools and powerful diagnostic techniques. Major therapeutic advances have enabled us to control HIV, and more tailor-made therapies are being implemented to treat cancer. Nonetheless huge challenges remain, not only in the field of cancer, but also with respect to neurodegenerative and other diseases.

At the same time, international travel and mobility, as well as globalised trade, are affecting our living conditions and promoting the spread of infectious diseases and new viruses, like the COVID-19 coronavirus, all over the world.

The Croatian physician and scientist Ivan Đikić analyses the challenges of contemporary medical research, the emerging threats, like pandemics, and the role played by health systems.

This is the twelfth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

The EIB has invited international thought leaders to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

The genome e-volution

Matteo Rivellini

Per secoli i Balcani occidentali hanno rappresentato un crocevia tra Europa centrale e Oriente.
I paesi dei Balcani occidentali, devastati da tragici conflitti, nazionalismi e mancati investimenti, lottano per trovare un nuovo equilibrio. Cittadini e istituzioni balcaniche hanno più volte affermato la propria ambizione di entrare a far parte dell'Unione europea e hanno compiuto notevoli sforzi per trasformare questo sogno in realtà.
Negli ultimi vent'anni gli interventi della Banca europea per gli investimenti (BEI) nella regione sono stati consistenti. La BEI ha infatti contribuito alla realizzazione di corridoi di trasporto paneuropei, sostenuto investimenti diretti esteri e promosso la rigenerazione delle aree urbane; ha offerto assistenza tecnica e finanziamenti per migliorare e sviluppare infrastrutture sociali ed economiche e promuovere la crescita del settore privato come motore a sostegno dell'occupazione.
I Balcani occidentali possono guardare avanti con la speranza di un futuro più luminoso e più verde.
Matteo Rivellini è a capo della Divisione della Banca europea per gli investimenti che si occupa delle operazioni di prestito in Slovenia, Croazia e nei Balcani occidentali.
Questo è il tredicesimo essay della serie Big Ideas creata dalla Banca europea per gli investimenti.

Forza e speranza nei Balcani occidentali

The Western Balkans have been a crossing point between Central Europe and the East for centuries.

Devastated by tragic conflicts, nationalism and neglected investments, the Western Balkan countries are striving to find a new equilibrium. Citizens and institutions in the Balkans have repeatedly affirmed their ambition to become part of the European Union and have made significant efforts to turn this dream into reality.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has done a lot in this region over the past 20years. It has helped build pan-European transport corridors, supported direct foreign investment, helped redevelop urban areas, provided technical assistance and additional finance to enhance and develop social and economic infrastructure, and stimulated private sector growth to create jobs. Looking ahead, there is hope for a brighter and greener future for the Western Balkans.

Matteo Rivellini is the Head of Division in charge of lending operations in Slovenia, Croatia and the Western Balkans at the EIB.

This is the thirteenth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

The EIB has invited international thought leaders and experts to write about the most important issues of the day.

These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

Hope and strength in the Western Balkans

Grzegorz Gorzelak

Countries and regions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have gone through several challenges. They went through totalitarian and authoritarian communist regimes, gained independence at the end of the 19th century, faced new economic and political challenges and rejoined Europe in a perspective of mutual development.

As different as they may be, despite recent populist movements, the CEE countries have much in common and regional policies can help the "forgotten places" to explore their opportunities, supporting democracy, cohesion, and local economies in the European Union.

Grzegorz Gorzelak is a professor of economics, specialising in regional and local development policies and strategy building. He has collaborated with the World Bank, the OECD, DG Regio of the European Commission, several agencies of the Polish and Ukrainian governments, as well as regional and local authorities.

This is the fourteenth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

The Eastern Horizon: A regional perspective

Hermann Parzinger

Europe's cultural heritage is a vast, multifaceted mosaic showing who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be. We are all responsible for this huge, precious and fragile legacy.

The coronavirus pandemic revealed that unexpected events can suddenly change our way of life. In the future, other threats could well pose further challenges to our safety, health and environment as well as our social structures, values and ability to compete on the global markets.

How can Europe fulfil its promise if we do not reinvent and redesign the very basis of the European project and come up with innovative and bold solutions for a better and more sustainable future together?

We need a "New Heritage Deal for Europe", a heritage-led transformation of Europe's society, economy and environment.

Prof. Dr Hermann Parzinger is an archaeologist, historian and cultural heritage expert. In 2018, he was appointed Executive President of Europa Nostra, a pan-European federation for cultural heritage that represents civil society organisations seeking to safeguard Europe's cultural and natural heritage. Since 2013, Europa Nostra has been running among its key activities the 7 Most Endangered Programme in partnership with the European Investment Bank Institute.

This is the fifteenth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.

Togetherness: A New Heritage Deal for Europe

Tessa Bending

Does Europe have an inequality problem? Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many Europeans are certainly struggling. The rise of populist movements is another signal that something is awry. Many Europeans no longer see their economy as fair. But is this a problem of too much inequality, or just a problem of ideology? Is inequality even a bad thing? We need to consider the statistics on economic inequality, but also look beyond towards the lived experience of trying to make ends meet. We need to consider different ideas on the impact and significance of the inequality we see.

Does inequality drive entrepreneurship, and thus innovation, through the struggle for upward social mobility? Or does inequality affect life chances, becoming entrenched, blocking social mobility and innovation?

And does anyone really need a billion euros? If we have a euro to spare, do we create more happiness by giving it to the rich or to the poor? An old, once infamous, now oft-forgotten question in economics.

Tessa Bending conducts research on social inclusion, social development and impact measurement at the Economics Department of the European Investment Bank (EIB). The department provides indepth analysis on critical investment issues to support international policy debates.

This is the sixteenth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank. The EIB has invited international thought leaders and experts to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

Big Ideas - La serie di libri

Big Ideas - La serie di libri

Big Ideas libri in ordine cronologico

Ascolta e leggi