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Women, Wealth and Climate Resilience: The Transformative Power of Asset Creation in Africa
Climate vulnerability is a key factor behind the challenges facing women and girls in Africa. Yet as Jo Opot at Gather Ventures explains, the impact of investments aimed at building their climate resilience often fades too quickly, as poverty and tradition pull them back into household and caregiving duties. She argues that this problem represents a failure to address underlying power dynamics, and proposes a critical yet often overlooked solution — asset creation — exploring how it can advance both climate resilience and the quality of life for women and girls.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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A Global Effort to Unleash Local Data: How Open Mapping is Shaping Grassroots Climate Resilience Worldwide
As climate change intensifies, heatwaves, storms, wildfires and flash floods are increasing in scale and frequency worldwide. Yet as Atiya Anis at Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team explains, many of the areas that are most vulnerable to climate impacts lack representation on existing maps, leaving communities and decision-makers without reliable data to address these crises. She explores how open mapping offers a solution to this issue by leveraging community-generated data to create accessible and reliable maps of vulnerable areas to support climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
- Categories
- Environment, Technology
- Tags
- climate change, data, NGOs
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Four Key Lessons for Implementing PAYGo 2.0: How the PAYGo Solar Sector Can Fulfill its Potential
In response to the recent NextBillion article by Dan Murphy and Willem Nolens at PAYGo Lab, on how companies and investors can move PAYGo solar toward "PAYGo 2.0,” Yariv Cohen at Ignite Energy Access argues that it's time for deep reflection and realignment in the industry. He explains why PAYGo 2.0 — an approach aimed at boosting repayment rates and profitability through improved customer selection and support — is the only way forward for the sector, and shares four lessons Ignite has learned from its efforts to implement this model.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing
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Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management Using a Systems Lens: Four Jargon-Free Webinars from Glocal Evaluation Week 2025
Want to start collecting relevant impact data on your business — or improve your existing impact measurement and management (IMM) practices? Applying a systems lens to these efforts can offer great value, and though the concept of systems thinking can seem intimidating, it’s actually quite straightforward. The William Davidson Institute will host four free public webinars June 2-5, which will explain core principles of IMM using a systems lens. Presented in jargon-free terms, the webinars will discuss real-world applications for businesses and other organizations working in areas ranging from healthcare and energy to entrepreneurship and empowerment.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care, Investing, Social Enterprise
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Funding African Solutions to the Climate Crisis: Why Local Venture Capital Innovation Holds the Key to Climate Resilience
Africa contributes just 4% of global carbon emissions and faces the world’s most devastating climate impacts — yet it receives only 3.3% of global climate finance (as of 2021/22). Dotun Olowoporoku and Dolapo Morgan at Ventures Platform argue that this disparity presents an urgent need for locally-developed innovation driven by African venture capital. They explore how African VCs can leverage this opportunity to play a central role in the continent’s climate response.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Investing
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Ending the Vicious Circle in PAYGo Solar: How Companies and Investors Can Move the Sector Toward ‘PAYGo 2.0’
The Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) solar industry is facing decreases in both sales and investment capital, as rising customer default rates are driving a vicious circle of worsened unit economics and higher product prices. However, as Dan Murphy and Willem Nolens at PAYGo Lab explain, some companies are thriving by implementing systems to improve customer selection, education and support — an approach often referred to as "PAYGo 2.0." They analyze the industry’s challenges and share key lessons and best practices that can enhance its operational efficiency, financial resilience and sustainable growth.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance, Investing
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How the Mining Industry Can Protect Indigenous Rights: Risks and Best Practices for Businesses
As the global demand for critical metals and minerals grows, mining businesses have seen growing resistance from Indigenous communities around the world, due to the impacts mining activity has on their lands and resources. Anna-Kay Brown at Stanbrook Prudhoe explains how mining operations can avoid the financial and reputational risks these conflicts can cause, sharing best practices for protecting Indigenous communities' rights and preserving their wellbeing.
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- ESG, human rights, mining, public policy, regulations
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Fueling Change: The Multiple Impacts of Increasing Liquefied Petroleum Gas Usage in Rural India
To address the negative impacts of cooking with biomass fuel, the Indian government launched a program in 2018 that offers free access to a clean gas cookstove and a refillable cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). But as Shobhit Mishra and Vaishaly Shrimall at MSC explain, the program faced logistical challenges that limited uptake among rural households. They explore the barriers that hinder the adoption of gas cooking in rural India, and discuss the impact of an MSC program that leverages self-help groups to boost LPG uptake while creating entrepreneurship opportunities for local women.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Finance
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