Hard Numbers: Global chips glut, DRC border jam, Amazon deforestation

Hard Numbers: Global chips glut, DRC border jam, Amazon deforestation
Gabriella Turrisi

35: Remember last year's big semiconductor shortage? It's over. High inflation, China's zero-COVID policy, and Russia's war in Ukraine have slashed global demand for chips, with the benchmark Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropping 35% in 2022.

60: The Democratic Republic of Congo will expand its main border post with Zambia to ease congestion. Trucks loaded with precious minerals like copper are often stuck in lines up to 60 km (37.3 miles) long.

1,500: A record 1,500 square miles of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest were destroyed in the first half of this year, more than in all of 2021. What’s worse, the deforestation occurred during the rainy season, when it's harder to cut trees. Heading into the drier months, law enforcement is expected to be laxer ahead of October’s presidential election in which climate-skeptic President Jair Bolsonaro faces tree-hugger former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

More from GZERO Media

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enter a hall for a family photo before a plenary session of the BRICS 2024 Summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 23, 2024.
MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS

The guns may now be silent in Kashmir, but India and Pakistan are still locked in a war of words, with each dispatching officials abroad to shape the narrative.

Open Call is the heart of Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing, supporting products made, grown or assembled in America. The pitch event represents a unique opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with Walmart merchants and earn a chance to get their products on store shelves nationwide. Last year, finalists from across the country represented 48 states, with entrepreneurs from over half these states receiving deals. It’s all a part of Walmart’s investment in American jobs and communities. Learn more about Walmart’s annual Open Call.

In this new episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Satya Nadella — Microsoft’s third CEO — to talk about his journey from his early days playing cricket to leading Microsoft, the link between poetry and programming, and how the company is leading the next wave of technological transformation, redefining how we build and interact with technology. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.