What is the world's biggest worry? 5 economic stories to read this week

On average, women accumulate only 74% of the wealth that men have at retirement, according to the new Wealth Equity Index. The report illustrates how women are disadvantaged throughout their careers, helping to identify the specific factors causing inequitable outcomes.

The World Economic Forum's new Global Gender Gap Report 2022 also sheds light on the issue of gender quality — predicting it will take 132 years to reach full gender parity, at the current rate of progress. Read more about how we can address the gender gap in the workplace.

In a new Ipsos survey, 37% of people named inflation as their top concern. This figure has risen 3 percentage points since May, as the global cost of living crisis and surging inflation grip global economies.

Concern about COVID-19 has fallen in recent months, though, with unemployment and jobs rising. Learn more about what's worrying the world.

For the first time since 1918, Russia has defaulted on its foreign debts. Economic sanctions have been imposed on the nation by western governments since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

In this piece, a legal expert and an economist explore the significance of default, both in the short and longer term.

Learn more about the long-term implications of Russia's foreign debt default.

From 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all ships to calculate their annual carbon intensity based on a vessel's emissions for the cargo it carries - and show that it is progressively coming down. The two options available for older ships are to either be retrofitted with new technologies or simply slow down. A 10% drop in speed slashes fuel usage by almost 30%, according to marine sector lender Danish Ship Finance.

With supply chains already under strain from a surge in demand post-lockdowns, pandemic disruptions at ports, and a lack of new ships, shipping capacity looks to decrease even further with these IMO requirements. Find out more about the state of global shipping.

Climate-related droughts, deadly heatwaves, severe storms, cyclones, hurricanes, and a pandemic. These factors make growing and exporting staple crops extremely challenging, pushing a growing number of people into poverty and starvation, writes Molly Olson - CEO of Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand.

Based on current trajectories, around a quarter of Brazil’s coffee farms, and 37% of Indonesia’s, are likely to be lost to climate change.

However, global trade could be used to mitigate climate change and uplift the world's poorest, if exporting countries adopt sustainable and climate-resilient practices. From adopting sustainable soil and water management to reforesting farmlands, discover how climate resilience and trade can grow together.