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The Overlapping Impacts of Off-Grid Solar: Four Ways Innovative Funding Can Enable the Sector to Advance Global Climate and Poverty Goals
How can the off-grid solar sector achieve its energy access and climate-related goals? Laura Fortes and Drew Corbyn at GOGLA argue that there’s one clear answer to that question: more and better finance. They discuss four ways innovative funding models can enable the sector to rapidly and radically accelerate progress toward universal energy access and other development goals.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Investing, Technology
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Strengthening the Front Lines in the Fight Against Climate Change: A Call for Investment in Coastal Communities’ Resilience
This week, both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit and Climate Week NYC are happening in New York, at the end of the hottest summer on record. As Florian Kemmerich at Palladium and Bamboo Capital Partners points out, there are good reasons for the alignment between the two events and the growing urgency of the discussion — particularly in a coastal city like New York. He explores how coastal communities bear the brunt of escalating climate impacts, and how investing in their climate resilience can support progress toward the other SDGs.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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The Sleeping Giants of the Green Economy: New Research in India and Kenya Shows How Small Businesses Can Lead the Way in Addressing Climate Change
Given the scope of the climate crisis, and the extent to which the private sector is contributing to it, it's clear that businesses must play a central role in the global response. Abigayle Davidson at ANDE and Patrick Obonyo at IKEA Foundation argue that small and growing businesses (SGBs) are critical yet underutilized drivers of innovative solutions to the world’s growing climate-related challenges. They share new research from ANDE that explores SGBs’ role in advancing the green economy in India and Kenya.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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Rethinking Farming in Small Island Developing States: Five Major Trends in Jamaican Agriculture That Can Apply to Other Emerging Economies
Though Jamaica is working to diversify production and build self-sufficiency in its agricultural sector, like much of the Caribbean region, it still imports more food and livestock than it exports. But as Varun Baker at Farm Credibly points out, the country is exploring new farming practices and technologies that can boost its agricultural output and sustainability. He shares five key trends in Jamaican agriculture that could provide a model to other emerging economies — particularly Small Island Developing States.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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Addressing the Credibility Crisis in Carbon Credits: How New Technologies — And New Data — Are Building Trust in Carbon Markets
Are carbon credits a legitimate tool to fight climate change — or are they just greenwashing? Ben Jeffreys at ATEC Global argues that, despite recent research that has called its effectiveness into question, putting a price on carbon is actually one of our most promising ways to accelerate global decarbonization. But as he points out, that doesn’t mean the criticisms of carbon credits aren't valid: He explores the challenges that are impacting carbon credits' credibility, and proposes five recommendations for building a more robust and transparent carbon market.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
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An Agricultural Value Chain Bears Fruit: How Adopting a New Crop Helped Boost the Prosperity and Climate Resilience of Cambodian Farmers
Improving the performance of agricultural value chains will be crucial to emerging countries' efforts to end poverty and hunger, boost shared prosperity, and adapt to climate change. To that end, an iDE program is supporting Cambodian farmers as they transition to growing melons and other new crops, by helping to build market systems that support the sale of these products. Simon Crittle at iDE explores how the program is enabling farmers to navigate changes in the market — and in the climate.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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Repairing Electronics: A Circular Economy Solution for Reducing E-Waste and Building Resilience in Rural Africa
The accumulation of electronic waste is an increasingly urgent issue around the world. And as Sofia Ollvid at SolarAid points out, Africa is ground zero for this problem, since a significant amount of e-waste created globally is shipped to dumpsites across the continent. She explores how repairing electronic devices can help address this challenge while also boosting the local economy, as shown by a SolarAid program that's training repair technicians in Zambia and Malawi to extend the lifespan of solar devices.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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A Blueprint for Closing the SDG Financing Gap: How to Raise $290 Billion in 12 Months to Tackle the World’s Biggest Problems
As of 2020, the annual SDG financing gap for developing countries stood at $4.2 trillion — up from $2.5 trillion pre-pandemic. And according to Chris Clubb at Convergence Blended Finance, though private capital is crucial to closing this gap, the $240 billion in annual public development finance only mobilizes around $44 billion in private investment, which covers just 1% of these countries' climate and SDG investment needs. He explores the core elements of Convergence's Action Plan for Climate and SDG Investment Mobilization, which shows how a small amount of public and philanthropic funding can catalyze private investment to more than double total climate and SDG financing in developing economies.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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