India is at a decisive point in its journey towards prosperity, and it is time to make the next step change in the pace of reform.

Climate change is increasing the destructive power of flooding from extreme rain and from rising seas and rivers. Many cities around the world are exposed. Strong winds during storms and hurricanes can drive coastal flooding through storm surge. As hurricanes and storms become more severe, surge height increases.

Climate change is already having substantial physical impacts at a local level in regions across the world; the affected regions will continue to grow in number and size.

After more than 10,000 years of relative stability—the full span of human civilization—the Earth’s climate is changing. As average temperatures rise, climate science finds that acute hazards such as heat waves and floods grow in frequency and severity, and chronic hazards, such as drought and rising sea levels, intensify.

Gender inequality in Africa remains high, and progress toward gender parity has stagnated. This is a large missed opportunity for African societies and for the continent’s growth prospects. If Africa steps up its efforts now to close gender gaps, it can secure a substantial growth dividend in the process.

Quality of life has many dimensions, from the air residents breathe to how safe they feel walking the streets. The latest report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future, analyzes how dozens of digital applications address these kinds of practical and very human concerns.

Technological innovations, along with macroeconomic trends and changing consumer behavior, are transforming the way resources are consumed and produced.

Demographic change is one of the powerful forces transforming the world economy. As global population growth slows and urbanization plateaus in many regions, the outlook for cities and their growth changes profoundly.

By 2030, the economies of top five Indian cities will each grow to equal the current sizes of middle-income economies, a report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) says.

A new report predicts that by 2030, 15 percent of global automotive sales will be of fully autonomous cars, and the industry will continue to undergo massive technological changes.