THE BRIEFING
MISSED GOALS
Footballmania has been inescapable. In an event where seemingly everything that moves and breathes has been monetised to promote the event, strangely, the event has failed to match the expectations of some global organisations. FIFA projected that with help from global supporters, the event would result in a projected global economic impact of US $ 80bn. That said, it seems the majority of host cities are yet to see the fruits of their labour. Officials and business owners have cited US President Donald Trump’ s global travel restrictions, increased accommodation costs and politically-focused boycotts as the reason for the event’ s financial shortfall. If President Trump himself said he wouldn’ t pay the World Cup’ s high ticket prices, is it any surprise a lot of football fans wouldn’ t want to either?
MAKING WAVES
In 2020, Microsoft announced plans to implement a series of sustainability measures to reach its“ water positive” target by 2030. Microsoft is now officially ahead of schedule, reaching that target goal four years early. The milestones set by the firm involved an initiative to eventually replenish more water than it withdrew across its global segments. The company has also announced several other sustainability initiatives, such as air cooling measures as well as the recycling of reused water. Similarly, Google and Amazon have opted to do the same, a trend that may increase with major tech firms as concerns arise over the use of water as a coolant in data centre operations.
16 July 2026