Healthy aging for a healthy economy– CEPR, November 16, 2022
Having just crossed the eight billion population threshold, we mustn’t forget that global aging is the primary challenge we collectively face. As healthy aging promotes healthy economies, policy preparedness must focus on: (1) initiatives that facilitate disease prevention and early detection, (2) wider reliance on innovative healthcare technologies, (3) retirement and pension flexibility, (4) development of age-friendly public spaces, (5) strengthened long-term care systems, and (6) health spending based on more appropriately designed and rigorously implemented health technology assessments.
The age of social media is ending – The Atlantic, November 10, 2022
This article begins with a bold statement: “It’s never felt more plausible that the age of social media might end–and soon.” A penetrating analysis of how social media ended up creating a system used exclusively to deliver an endless stream of content. This resulted in billions of people seeing themselves as celebrities, pundits, and tastemakers. The author argues that “we cannot make social media good, because it is fundamentally bad, deep in its very structure. All we can do is hope that it withers away and play our small part in helping abandon it.”
The mysterious rise of food allergies – Vox, October 21, 2022
Food allergies are becoming much more common, both in children and in adults, and adding up to a major burden across the health system and the economy. Food allergies are estimated, for example, to cost the US economy around $25 billion per year. Yet, scientists find it surprisingly difficult to get a handle on even the basics. Read on to understand the role that (too much) hygiene, exposure timing, genetics, and vitamin D deficiency may play in triggering allergies.
Inside the billion-dollar meeting for the mega-rich who want to live forever–MIT Technology Review, November 16, 2022
This short, humorous piece documents how hope, hype, and self-experimentation collided at the very exclusive recent “Longevity Investors Conference” in Gstaad (a high-end resort in Switzerland) for ultra-rich investors who want to extend their lives past 100. The science remains embryonic. In the words of the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, it could be that the sale of most supplements is “good for the economy” and not much else.
Urban rewilding is bringing wildlife to the heart of global citiesInside the billion-dollar meeting for the mega-rich who want to live forever–CNN, November 23, 2022
Visions of the urban future tend to revolve around mile-high skyscrapers, flying cars and high-tech solutions to sustainability challenges. But there is another vision that foresees a return to the wilderness that cities were once built upon, complete with forests and wild animals that were lost long ago. That vision is beginning to be realized in major cities around the world in the shape of the urban rewilding movement.
A Striking Stat: The Booming Nature Economy
Outdoor recreation spending (tourism, gardening, hiking, biking, camping, etc.) grew 19% in the US from 2020-2021, contributing $862 billion in gross economic output, surpassing both mining and agriculture.
Source: The US Bureau of Economic Analysis Read more
