Meeting Highlights

The 11th Annual Meeting of the New Champions saw nearly 2,000 business leaders, policy-makers, experts and media from over 80 countries explore more than 200 sessions focused on the theme, Achieving Inclusive Growth in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

China’s Premier Li Keqiang and Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang underscored the country’s commitment to tackling climate change and developing clean technology. Premier Li also stressed the importance of implementing inclusive growth strategies to limit negative impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and noted that free trade and international cooperation are key to achieving these goals.
Participants in a joint event held with China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection developed a public-private strategy to deploy the Fourth Industrial Revolution, sharing economy and circular economy to assist China’s effort to build sustainable cities and tackle climate change.
A partnership signed between Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde, Chinese bike-sharing firm OFO and design-firm Tezign will see thousands of air-filtering Smog Free Bicycles deployed on the streets of major cities in China. Roosegaarde is the creator of the Smog Free Tower, which pulls pollution out of the air and turns it into diamonds, and was first profiled at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016.
New techniques that allow drinking water to be harvested from air, “artificial leaves” that convert CO₂ into fuel, and other technologies covering medicine, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and farming feature in the Forum’s annual list of top emerging technologies, published in collaboration with Scientific American. Realized at the Annual Meeting of New Champions, the list highlights breakthrough technologies with the potential for significant societal and economic impact over the next three to five years.
The Forum released Realizing the Potential of Blockchain, a white paper that outlines the role blockchain could play in heralding a new era of the internet. The paper argues that for blockchain to realize its transformative potential, a more structured process of multistakeholder cooperation and stewardship is necessary, similar to the cooperation around the early stages of internet adoption.
Global GDP will be 14% higher in 2030 as a result of artificial intelligence – the equivalent of an additional $15.7 trillion, according to a new report launched at the meeting.
The World Economic Forum and the Chinese business community announced that a new China Business Roundtable in November will explore China’s vision to promote artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, the internet of things and innovation in the region.
The Healthy City Partnership was launched in partnership with the Union for International Cancer Control and others. The initiative aims to help cities in low- and middle-income countries strengthen healthcare infrastructure in response to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, stroke and diabetes.
With demand for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids set to double by 2020, the World Economic Forum’s Global Battery Alliance advanced plans to secure sustainability across the battery supply chain, including eliminating child labour and developing strategies to avoid massive dumping of used batteries through secondary markets for the high-quality minerals and materials of which they are composed.
To restore trust in science during a time of populist scepticism in some countries, the World Economic Forum Young Scientists Community produced a draft Universal Code of Ethics for Researchers, which outlines the core principles for researchers, including engaging with the public, pursuing the truth, maximizing benefit and minimizing harm, engaging with decision-makers, supporting diversity, being mentors and being accountable.
Chinese consumption is growing by 10% a year, faster than any other country on the planet. By 2021, China will add $1.8 trillion in new consumption – roughly the size of Germany's consumer economy today, according to a new report launched at the meeting.
The World Economic Forum announced that it will convene its first Sustainable Development Impact Summit in New York on 18-22 September 2017. The summit is dedicated to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement through public-private cooperation and the application of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Issue Briefing: Into the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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