Published on January 29, 2015, an article in The New York Times titled "Oil Prices and the 'Spectrum of Pain'" examines the global impact of plummeting crude oil prices.

The piece investigates why some nations are faring significantly better than others, despite crude oil falling over 50% since last summer.

Climate change and increasing raw material scarcity demand a radical shift from traditional business models. A circular economy is essential.

Businesses are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation by controlling waste, utilizing cleaner energy sources, and collaborating with NGOs and governments.

This concept was highlighted in an article published on May 14, 2013, by The Guardian.

This work offers a radical rethinking of our faulty assumptions about money and its proper use.

It is authored by David Korten, a prolific writer whose upcoming book, "Change the Story: Change the Future," is slated for publication in 2015.

Award-winning economist Paul Collier explores how to reconcile economic growth with environmental sustainability. He argues against "plunder," where a few exploit many, taking resources that belong to future generations. Our obligation to the future is a fundamental principle.

His book, "The Plundered Planet," delves deeper into these ideas. Purchase it on Amazon or at your local bookstore. This content was produced by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce).

Annie Leonard, Executive Director of Greenpeace U.S.A. and creator of the Story of Stuff Project, advocates for active citizen involvement. She urges individuals to exercise their "citizen muscle" and be passionate about their work, highlighting the numerous ways to contribute.

Leonard shared her insights during an interview at the 2014 Annual Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Portland, Oregon, on October 28, 2014. This interview, produced by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv and Barry Heidt of GeoSpirit.tv, was published on November 6, 2014.

A special collection featuring Annie Leonard as a Sustainability Champion is available on EarthSayers.tv. View here.

Joss Tantram, co-founder and Partner at Terrafiniti/TOWARDS 9 BILLION, explains the critical importance of understanding ecosystem value and the significant cost of their destruction.

His insights were presented at the Salzburg Global session, "A Climate for Change: New Thinking on Governance for Sustainability," in June 2013. This discussion was originally published on September 17, 2013.

World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim called for economic growth that creates more just societies, defining the institution's goal of boosting shared prosperity as its strategy to tackle global inequality.

Speaking at Howard University, Kim announced that for the first time in its history, the World Bank has set a specific goal to reduce global inequality.

Richard D. Wolff's YouTube channel features programs that begin with 30-minute updates on recent economic events. This is followed by Wolff's analysis of major economic issues.

Topics covered have included Americans' falling household wealth, the global debt bubble, large US companies evading taxes via offshore havens, and corporate scandals such as GM's vehicle recalls.

Explore more on Professor Wolff's website. His book, Democracy At Work, is available for purchase.

After years of economic crisis and failed solutions, many Americans believe the capitalist system no longer serves them. It's time for a bold new approach. Richard Wolff presented his proposed cure, explaining and justifying it, and urged people to build real, positive change instead of resigning to economic decline.

This presentation marked the launch of Wolff's latest book, *Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism*, released September 1, 2012, by Haymarket Publishers. The event was filmed by LinkTV on September 6, 2012. This description was published on March 14, 2013.

Dr. George Land spoke at TEDxTucson's December 2011 event, themed "Innovating Our Green Economy." In his talk, "The Failure Of Success," he explored human innovation and the importance of creativity.

Land, an author, speaker, consultant, and general systems scientist, developed his Transformation Theory. This theory, stemming from his research, integrates principles of creativity, growth, and change. Learn more about Dr. George Land.

Critics argue that economics lacks a cohesive theory of value, a challenge debated by economists from Smith to Marx. This fundamental issue extends to problems concerning money, long-term stability, and sustainability.

A Long Finance conference panel, held on March 15, 2012, addressed "How to Incentivise Sustainable Finance." The discussion featured Professor Michael Mainelli, Dr Matthew Kiernan, Valéry Lucas-Leclin, and Joss Tantram.

Lord Adair Turner, former Chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority and Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, delivered a presentation titled "Money and Debt: Radical Solutions to the Challenge of Deleveraging."

Turner highlighted a fundamental insight: banks simultaneously create new credit and new money "ex nihilo." He stressed this as a crucial concept for economics undergraduates to understand about the monetary economy.

This presentation was given at the "Fix the Banking System for Good" conference at the Philadelphia Fed on April 17, 2013, and published on May 5, 2013.

Quants, the math and computer experts in finance, designed products that nearly crashed Wall Street. The credit crunch revealed our financial system's deep reliance on mathematical models attempting to quantify human economic behavior. Today, quants are at the forefront of another revolution: high-speed trading.

This raises crucial questions: What are the inherent risks of treating the economy as a complex machine? Can we truly control this model-based system, or have we created an uncontrollable entity?

This narrative delves into greed, fear, and randomness from the heart of Wall Street.

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta critiques the double standard in how we perceive charities. He argues that nonprofits are often rewarded for minimal spending rather than their actual impact.

Pallotta challenges us to stop equating frugality with morality. Instead, he advocates rewarding charities for their ambitious goals and significant accomplishments, even if these involve substantial expenses. His bold talk urges a fundamental shift in how we approach changing the world.

Watch more TED talks here.

At the 2014 GreenBiz Forum, Nigel Topping of CDP and Joel Makower of GreenBiz held a keynote conversation. They explored "Beyond Carbon and Water," focusing on these elements as investment risks due to climate change and their impact on the investment community.

CDP is an international not-for-profit organization. It provides the sole global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage, and share crucial environmental information. This content was published on March 20, 2014.

Robert Reich delivers a critical Tax Day message, highlighting a significant economic disparity. He explains why the wealthiest one percent often pay a substantially lower tax rate compared to the rest of the population.

Reich's message also explores potential solutions and actions that can be taken to address this imbalance and promote a more equitable tax system.

Speaking at the ECO:nomics conference on April 3, 2014, former Walmart CEO Michael T. Duke stated that sustainability for Walmart extends beyond profits. He highlighted that a smaller environmental footprint leads to greater long-term profit, stressing the social and prosperity elements where Walmart, as the largest private employer in the U.S. with 2.2 million global employees, has significant impact.

The conference, hosted by *The Wall Street Journal*, gathers leaders to discuss business and environmental issues. Yet, critics like Dr. Chet Bowers argue that genuine sustainability is hindered by "deep cultural assumptions" of an individualistic, consumer-dependent society, despite corporate efforts.

Elinor Ostrom's Stockholm whiteboard seminar explores sustainable natural resource management. She explains how diverse global contexts allow communities to effectively utilize resources without depletion.

This seminar was uploaded on April 3, 2009.

Hosted by Duncan Stewart, the 'Take, make, dispose' model describes our current linear economy: extracting raw materials, making products, then discarding them. This 20th-century consumerism has led to dwindling resources, overflowing waste, and significant environmental damage.

In contrast, the Circular Economy offers a progressive, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternative, mimicking nature by eliminating waste. The final Eco Eye series 12 program explores this model, showcasing Irish companies adopting it and featuring experts discussing its challenges and opportunities.

Episode #8 of Meeting of the Minds features futurists Gerd Leonhard and Ross Dawson. They discuss the future of sustainability, the circular economy, and the triple bottom line.

The conversation explores lateral growth as the sole viable option and the necessity of changing industrial-based metrics.

This episode was published on February 17, 2014.