Pond slime is actually algae – microscopic plant-like organisms – and it’s proving to be an unlikely ally in the fight against climate change.
US-based start-up AirBuild has developed an algae-based system that can filter out pollutants and contaminants from wastewater, at the same time as absorbing excess carbon. Once the algae has done its work, AirBuild turns it into biochar, a soil-improving agent that locks absorbed carbon into the ground for centuries.
Here, AirBuild’s CEO David Gory explains how the process works.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
YouTube â–º https://www.youtube.com/wef
LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/Â
X ► https://twitter.com/wef
TikTok â–º https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
WhatsApp â–º https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDcHBKGZNCihKxwiD0L
Threads â–º https://www.threads.com/@worldeconomicforum
Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF
Officials, activists, artists and others concerned about women’s status in today’s world gathered at UN Headquarters for its annual two-week session on the issue. Although bringing different perspectives, they joined together with a resounding call for real change to improve the lives of women everywhere.
With just five years left to deliver the 2030 Agenda, the clock is ticking—and gender equality is slipping backward. The Gender Snapshot 2025, by UN Women and UN DESA, sounds the alarm: new tech once hailed as a game-changer is now weaponized against women, with generative AI threatening their jobs at nearly double the rate of men’s. Yet closing the gender digital divide could lift 30 million women out of poverty and add $1.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030.
Speakers:
Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (UN Women,
Anoushka Sinha, Founder & Director of Anupam Foundation, Human Rights Activist & Forbes 30 Under 30
Roya Mahboob, Founder of the Digital Citizen Fund
Moderator:
Elaine Reyes, News Anchor UN insider & Americas Now Show, CGTN America
SDG Media Zone website: https://www.un.org/en/sdgmediazone
0:15 – Inequality Is Not Inevitable, Says Oxfam: Globally, billionaire wealth rose by more than 16% in 2025. That’s 3 times the average annual rise over the previous 5 years, according to Oxfam’s latest report on global inequality. Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International, suggests 5 ways to fight #inequality – and also shares his reasons to be cheerful, including his faith in Gen Z.
02: 59 – Can Kids Be Safe Online?: Safety breaches for children seem less a bug than a feature of the web – but does it have to be this way? Absolutely not, says Marija Manojlovic, the Executive Director of Safe Online, a global fund that supports online safety projects.
06:34 – The Rise of Small AI Models: What if the way to better AI wasn’t to think bigger, but to think smaller? That’s the route proposed by professor and AI expert Yejin Choi, who argues that the cultural dominance of English in LLMs silences other cultures and shuts whole communities out of AI’s benefits.
09:45 – Pond Slime Fights Climate Change: Pond slime is actually algae – microscopic plant-like organisms – and it’s proving to be an unlikely ally in the fight against climate change. US-based start-up Air Build has developed an algae-based system that can filter out pollutants and contaminants from wastewater, at the same time as absorbing excess carbon. Here, AirBuild’s CEO David Gory explains how the process works.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
Find out more below:
World Economic Forum Website ► http://www.weforum.org/
YouTube â–º https://www.youtube.com/wef
LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-economic-forum
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/worldeconomicforum/Â
X ► https://twitter.com/wef
TikTok â–º https://www.tiktok.com/@worldeconomicforum
WhatsApp â–º https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDcHBKGZNCihKxwiD0L
Threads â–º https://www.threads.com/@worldeconomicforum
Flipboard ► https://flipboard.com/@WEF
This session of the Goals Lounge will feature diverse perspectives from young leaders and influencers, highlighting their experiences, strategies and reflections on navigating leadership, digital spaces and gender-based challenges today.
18 March 2026 — The European Commission presented EU Inc. (the 28th Regime): a new, optional framework for startups to scale seamlessly across the Union.
• FULLY ONLINE registration
• Ready in 48 HOURS
• One single rulebook for all of Europe
We are making it simple for the next generation of innovators to scale across Europe.
The seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to 19 March 2026.
Officials, activists, artists and others concerned about women’s status in today’s world gathered at UN Headquarters for its annual two-week session on the issue. Although bringing different perspectives, they joined together with a resounding call for real change to improve the lives of women everywhere.
Energy prices are rising but the EU is taking action.
From state aid to tax cuts and infrastructure improvements, measures aim to minimise the impact on citizens and businesses.
