In the middle of December, food prices maintained an upward trend, as ISET’s Retail Food Price Index increased by 2.2%, compared to mid-November 2017. It turns out that the holidays will cost more in 2017, compared to December 2016, as we recorded a significant 10.9% y/y increase in food prices.

On December 14, 2017, the second phase of ReforMeter started with an evaluation of Georgia’s agricultural development.

In recent times, the world has experienced an exponential increase in solar-powered generating capacity, especially in emerging markets such as China and India. The reasons for this rapid development exist due to low-priced equipment and improved technologies now reaching millions of people. As reported by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, solar capacity grew by 54% year-on-year, and over a three-year period, it has more than tripled.

Perhaps as an early Christmas gift to the international community rooting for a cross-sectoral solution on combatting climate change, HSBC has announced its commitment to establish the world’s first bond. As explained by HSBC themselves, the bond is closely linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Following seven selected SDG targets, HSBC will fund 1 billion USD through the bond and thus financially support projects set out to increase the sustainable well-being of communities and the environment.

ISET is continuing its student policy seminar series. This time, Giorgi Ninua, Mariam Tsulukidze, Mariam Lobjanidze, and Yana Hovhannisyan presented their research results under the supervision of Norberto Pignatti, a member of ISET’s resident faculty and the head of the Energy and Environment Policy Research Center at the ISET Policy Institute.