As co-author of “AI for Humanity: Build a Sustainable AI for the Future” published by Wiley, James has always advocated for AI for Humanity to be one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. He will explain why, how and what initiatives we as humanity should act collectively to make it happen.

I want to discuss the opportunities that have arisen from the challenges we face with electronic waste in West Africa, particularly in Ghana. I would like to highlight my company, Electro Recycling, and our partnership with a German company, which has allowed us to establish operations in Ghana. This initiative has created over 60 direct jobs and 200 indirect jobs for the local community.

We are actively bridging the digital divide by providing access to refurbished electronics, empowering marginalized communities, and fostering economic opportunities.

Additionally, I want to emphasize how repair, refurbishment, and remanufacturing can benefit the people of Ghana, West Africa, and Europe as a whole. Although Africa contributes to less than 3% of global warming, its young population has the potential to positively impact a greener circular economy.

The alliance of the two giants, Brazil and China, has brought many tangible results to both countries. This is especially true during this unstable world of tariff wars.

As the USA and Brazil are competitors — large exporters of grains and animal proteins to China — tariff wars between the USA and China always benefit Brazil.

The spectacular advance of Brazilian agriculture has made the country a breadbasket to the world. As such, Brazil is vital to guarantee the food security of the Chinese people. Brazil also supplies the strategic minerals China needs to power its industrial production and technological advances.

In just one year, the trade surplus in Brazil’s favor during 2024 reached US$ 79.8 billion. Chinese companies are bringing advanced technology to Brazil, and China is helping build its much-needed infrastructure, which is the basis for the development of any country.

This study investigates the impacts of disruptive chaos on the traditional structure of the value chain proposed by Michael Porter. In contexts marked by accelerated technological innovations, system collapses and unpredictable market transformations, support activities have been assuming central positions in value generation, while the boundaries between suppliers, competitors and customers become increasingly fluid.
The term disruption proposed by Clayton Christensen (1997) refers to a significant interruption or disturbance in a sector, industry or existing business model, often caused by the introduction of new technologies, innovative ideas, which change the established dynamics. Disruption involves the introduction of radical innovations that break existing business models and do not represent just an incremental improvement, but a paradigm shift that redefines the way the market operates
The term “disruptive chaos” can be understood as the combination of disruption and instability, and we can use it to describe moments or processes in which the rules of the game are abruptly broken to generate profound transformation in traditional business models, leading to new business structures.
In conditions of disruptive chaos, characterized by high uncertainty, structural disruptions, and accelerated changes, the traditional value chain proposed by Porter — based on a clear distinction between primary and support activities — loses its hierarchical rigidity. Disruptions can alter the sequential and functional logic of the model, causing a role reversal between activities.

The objective of this article is to understand how value chains are reconfigured under conditions of extreme instability and what strategies emerge in response. The expected results include an updated analytical model that allows understanding and navigating business dynamics in scenarios of high uncertainty.
 

This paper will focus on the issue of financing for peace and the various initiatives of mostly multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help fund conflict-driven countries and territories that are obstacles to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study is mostly qualitative in approach and uses secondary data through internet searches and data mining of relevant sources. 

Throughout world history, a huge treasury was needed to finance wars. This is mostly done through taxation, borrowing mostly through war bonds (or liberty bonds) and printing of money, which was not only inflationary but also led to the collapse of the gold standard. The latest Ukraine-Russia war showcases how new financing innovations like cryptocurrencies were used by both sides to not only finance the war for Ukraine but to bypass the economic sanctions as well imposed by the West on Russia. But if war is financed, so can peace. The first historically known initiative for peace financing was the Marshall Plan or European Recovery Program which was a $13.3 billion aid package instigated by the USA in 1947 to help reconstruct Europe from the ravages of the Second World War but also to establish American hegemony which was threatened by the spread of communism at that time.

The first part of this paper is devoted to a literature review of the case for peace by looking at the state of conflicts and war besetting the world to date to set the tone for the need for peace financing. The Geneva Academy lists about 114 armed conflicts on its website as of 2022 with about 45 in the Middle East and North Africa; 35 in Africa; 21 in Asia; 6 in Latin America; and 7 in Europe. The deteriorating trend of peacebuilding is confirmed by the Global Peace Index of 2023 with an average 0.42 percent decline and similar disturbing trends in the Fragile States Index and its component indicators like securities threat, group grievance, factionalized elite, state legitimacy, human rights and rule of law, demographic pressures, public services, refugee and displaced people, human flight and brain drain, uneven economic development and economic decline; and the progress of the nuclear arms build-up. Peace has thus been elusive as an SDG and therefore poses a threat to the attainment of the 16 other SDGs. 

This is followed by a description of the Earth Charter and the SDGs. The fourth pillar of the Earth Charter is Democracy, Non-Violence, and Peace. The Earth Charter is the ethical foundation of the SDGs consisting of 16 principles around four pillars or cornerstones. Its fourth pillar is linked to SDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. SDG 16 has a transformative and an enabling role among all the SDGs. Its inclusion as a sustainability goal was aimed to bridge the gap in the previous millennial development goals (MDGs) which overlooked attention to peace, security, and institutions. The Earth Charter is a call for a change in worldview from an anthropocentric or egocentric mindset to an anthropocentric or eco-centric one. The predominance of the egocentric view explains why the attainment of peace has been elusive. 

The literature review continues with the relationship between peace and development and the competing theoretical views about their interrelatedness and compatibility. The discussion revolves around the inclusivist and exclusivist approaches where peace and development are either symbiotically related in the former or are two separate tracks that explain the political opposition to the inclusion of SDG16 among the sustainable development goals.

The article proceeds with the major sources of peace financing and the various financing initiatives for peace by multilateral institutions, regional financial institutions and trading blocs and NGOs. The various instrumentalities for peace financing will be explained such as peace-building response funds, peace bonds and peace dividends evolving mostly from the NGOs. The analytical part of this paper will discuss the progress of how financing for peace has been implemented in a war or conflict zone and its effects and impact. Finally, a conclusion is made on lessons learned from peace financing and how international business can contribute pro-actively in the effort to finance and secure peace in the world that makes SDG16 not only an enabler but an enabled SDG. 

As an emerging concept in economics and business, regeneration straddles the blurred lines between allied concepts of sustainability and the circular economy. Whereas sustainability is about the balance of the so-called triple bottom line, and whilst circularity progresses a step further by looping back waste as inputs to the production process, the regenerative economy and business models promote ecological integrity by ensuring planetary provisions and societal wellness. This is done through its replenishment or restorative or rebuilding function. Replenish means to fill again what has been used up, restore is to put or bring back to an original state while rebuild is to reconstruct something that has been damaged or destroyed. The latter two terms of restoring and rebuilding have common elements though with the other Rs of the circular economy such as repairing, refurbishing, or remanufacturing, where some form of restoration and rebuilding transpires. Replenishment therefore is the more appropriate eleventh R added to the 10 Rs of the circular economy comprising Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover introduced by Potting & Hanemaaijer (2018).

The need to replenish resources is crucial due to the limits on production imposed by the earth’s carrying capacity. In ecological terms, carrying capacity is defined as the maximum number of a species that can sustainably live or thrive in a given area.  In other words, a population’s carrying capacity is the size at which a population can no longer grow due to the lack of supporting resources. The carrying capacity is defined as the environment's maximal load, which in population studies correspond to the population equilibrium, when the number of deaths in a population equals the number of births (including immigration and emigration).  Hence, it is imperative to transcend circularity that reduces waste to regeneration that warrants that the planet’s carrying capacity is not breached.

As for regenerative business, this paper uses the concept of business models with respect to the elements of a business model proposed by Richardson (2008), Teece (2010), and Osterwalder & Pigneur (2005, 2011) comprising value proposition (marketing), value creation (R&D and production), value delivery (supply chain and logistics) and value capture (finance). The sustainability dimension to business models were introduced by Bocken et al. (2014) with eight archetypes classified into three groupings of mechanisms and later expanded on by Clinton and Whisnant (2014) with 20 distinct sustainable business models grouped into five categories, and Toth (2019) with 15 sustainable business movements. Using this conceptual framework, this research introduces a new typology of regenerative business models, circular production and circular consumption business models and will use a qualitative approach of selected case studies of regenerative business models juxtaposed with the circular business models to showcase the differences using environmental, social, and economic indicators.  The case studies of 54 enterprises cover two highly polluting sectors —fashion and construction — in three countries, namely, the Netherlands, France, and Germany, which are among the top EU polluters in both sectors. The methodology involves scoring the case companies using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) where the sustainability indicators serve as criteria to produce an overall triple bottom line (TBL) score (for people planet and profit) following Elkington (1994) that represents balanced sustainability. Each of the elements of the business models from value proposition, value creation, value delivery and value capture will be scored on the indicators for the three dimensions of sustainability. 

A conclusion on the benefits of regenerative versus circular economy business models in terms of the triple bottom line will be made with some policy implications drawn, using lessons learned from the case studies including improvements in materiality indicators needed to measure the concept of regeneration. Overall, regenerative business models reveal more balanced sustainability in almost all case companies compared to circular models due to value creation across the entire chain from upstream suppliers to downstream consumers.

Green ammonia is increasingly recognized as a key energy vector for advancing the global transition towards a low-carbon economy. Produced by combining green hydrogen—obtained through water electrolysis powered by renewable energy—with atmospheric nitrogen via the Haber-Bosch process, it offers a sustainable alternative to conventional ammonia derived from fossil fuels. This innovation plays a dual role: reducing the carbon footprint of fertilizer production and serving as a clean fuel for international maritime transport.

The purpose of this work is to examine the potential of Paraguay to develop a competitive green ammonia industry by leveraging its renewable energy resources and to analyze its implications for sustainable economic growth and integration into international trade. The specific objectives are: (i) to highlight the role of renewable energy as the foundation for competitive green ammonia production, (ii) to evaluate Paraguay’s unique position as a hydroelectric-based economy with surplus clean energy, (iii) to explore the logistical feasibility of transport along the Paraguay-Paraná waterway to global markets, and (iv) to assess the economic and social impact of this new industry on national development.

The methodology applied consists of a descriptive and comparative analysis of international reports (IEA, IRENA, IMO) and academic studies on hydrogen, renewable energy, and fertilizers. Variables considered include renewable electricity availability and cost, electrolysis efficiency, water resource access, and projected global demand for sustainable ammonia in agriculture and shipping.

The findings indicate that Paraguay, with more than 95% of its electricity generated from renewable hydropower, holds a strategic comparative advantage for large-scale green ammonia production. By exporting this product through its fluvial corridor to international markets, Paraguay could diversify its economy, attract foreign direct investment, and generate highly skilled jobs. Furthermore, green ammonia exports would strengthen the country’s role as a renewable energy exporter in molecular form, directly linking sustainable resource management with economic growth.

In conclusion, the development of a green ammonia industry in Paraguay represents not only a technological and environmental innovation but also a comprehensive strategy for economic growth, industrial diversification, and sustainable integration into global trade. This positions Paraguay as a key contributor to international climate commitments while simultaneously fostering its national development agenda.

This paper explores the existing opportunities and mechanisms for Paraguayan exports to the Chinese market despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. The main objective is to demonstrate, based on the practical experience of the Paraguay-China Chamber of Industry and Commerce, that direct market access to China is possible. While no formal academic methodology was applied, the study draws from real cases of Paraguayan companies that have successfully obtained the GACC license, required by the Chinese government for foreign exporters. In conclusion, the diplomatic barrier does not equate to a ban on trade. Paraguay can strategically position itself in the Asian market and offer its products and services through legal and recognized channels in China.

The global energy transition, essential for decarbonizing the production of goods and services, positions hydrogen (H₂) as a strategic energy vector. Energy vectors, such as gasoline, diesel, biomethane, and electricity, are substances or devices that store energy for later use [1]. Among the various production routes, green hydrogen – produced via water electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources – stands out for its potential for neutral carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

In this context, South America, particularly Brazil and Paraguay, possess unique potential due to their predominantly renewable electricity matrices [2, 3]. This comparative advantage allows to produce green hydrogen via water electrolysis at an estimated cost that is competitive when compared to conventional hydrogen (produced by steam methane reforming of natural gas) [4]. However, the implementation of projects on an industrial scale faces significant challenges.

This work was based on a literature review, drawing on articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS), ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases published in the last three years. Additionally, due to the commercial secrecy surrounding many developing projects, this analysis used information available in specialized media, both digital and print, and data on the official government portals of Brazil and Paraguay.

One of the main obstacles is economic competitiveness. Although the cost of green hydrogen has been falling rapidly, it is still generally higher than that of hydrogen derived from fossil fuels [5, 6]. However, it is important to note that many cost projections published in the literature are based on the geo-economic realities of developed countries, particularly European ones, which do not fully reflect the low-cost potential for green hydrogen production in South America.

Economic viability, however, becomes more tangible in specific applications. Projects that integrate green hydrogen production with the synthesis of nitrogen fertilizers have shown promise. In Brazil, some projects aim to produce green ammonia and urea [7], while in Paraguay, the production of calcium ammonium nitrate is being studied [8]. The economic viability of these projects is driven by two central factors:

*Renewable Electricity Matrix: Brazil has a matrix with about 90% renewable sources, comprised of hydropower (55.3%), wind (14.1%), and solar (9.3%) [2]. Paraguay has a virtually 100% renewable matrix, supported mainly by generation from the Itaipu Binacional Hydroelectric Plant [3]._

*Competitive Energy Costs: Data from the Electric Energy Commercialization Chamber (CCEE) [9] and ANDE [10] indicate that electricity in Brazil can already be negotiated in the range of US$ 30/MWh to US$ 40/MWh, a level that reaches economic viability for green ammonia production, where electricity represents approximately 58% of the operational cost (OPEX) [11, 12, 13, 14].

Furthermore, the aggressive entry of Chinese electrolyzer manufacturers into the global market has significantly pressured the decrease in the capital costs (CAPEX) of this equipment, contributing to the improvement of the overall economics of electrolysis projects [15, 16].

Despite the potential, the abundance of renewable energy does not automatically translate into availability for new projects. A critical challenge in Brazil is the limitation of the transmission infrastructure. There are currently eleven hydrogen projects under study, which total a demand of 45 GW of installed capacity forecast by 2038. Connecting these projects to the grid requires robust expansions in the National Interconnected System, a fact that has already motivated the inclusion of specific studies in the official transmission planning [17]. This bottleneck is one of the factors that has delayed the implementation of emblematic projects, such as those planned for the Port of Pecém, in Ceará [18].

Another challenge has been regulatory uncertainty. The lack of specific regulation and clear legal frameworks created environments of insecurity for investors, making it difficult to define guarantees of origin, certification, and safety standards. As a positive sign of progress, both Brazil [19] and Paraguay [20] have recently approved their legal frameworks for hydrogen, a fundamental step to attract investments and structure the production chain.

In conclusion, the potential of Brazil and Paraguay in the emerging global hydrogen economy is unquestionable, anchored in their abundant renewable resources and competitive energy costs. Overcoming the remaining challenges – such as transmission infrastructure and the detailing of regulatory norms – will require a coordinated approach between the public and private sectors. Clear public policies, fiscal incentives, partnerships for financing critical infrastructure, and the development of anchor markets (domestic and export) are essential. Success will depend on the ability to transform this comparative natural advantage into a viable, competitive, and sustainable economic project, as indicated by the green fertilizer projects already in an advanced planning stage.