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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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Can Pay-As-You-Go Help Clean Up Clean Cooking?
Since 2015, the global focus on clean cooking has grown substantially, bringing more funding, research and attention from policymakers to the sector. But according to Tash Perros at the University of Liverpool, Iwona Bisaga at Loughborough University and Julia Tomei at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, progress remains slow, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. They examine some of the reasons behind the inertia that is plaguing clean cooking access, and explore whether pay-as-you-go business models could catalyze progress.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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How U.S. Businesses Can Compete with China in Emerging Markets: Transitioning from a ‘Death Economy’ to a ‘Life Economy’
For decades, American businesses working in emerging markets have prioritized profit maximization regardless of the social and environmental costs — an approach that economist and author John Perkins describes as the "death economy." But as China has supplanted America as the top investor and trading partner in many of these markets, Perkins attributes its success to its embrace of the ideals — if not always the practices — of sustainable development. He explores how China's promotion of a regenerative "life economy" has resonated in developing countries, and how U.S. businesses can respond.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing, Transportation
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Bringing Agricultural Insurance to Climate-Vulnerable Farmers: A Unique Pilot Program in Nepal Shows How to Unlock the Benefits of Index-Based Insurance for Smallholders
Nepal's topography and climatic conditions make it uniquely prone to natural disasters. As Maria Perdomo at UNCDF explains, these disasters threaten the country's economic development, and smallholder farmers and rural women are disproportionately affected. She discusses a UNCDF pilot program that brought agricultural insurance coverage to Nepali smallholders, and shares learnings from the program that could inform efforts to deliver insurance to farmers in other climate-vulnerable countries in Asia and beyond.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance
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Empowering Women to Fight Climate Change: A Program in Zambia Shows How Smallholder Farmers Can Lead the Way
Southern Africa has faced persistent drought, erratic rainfall and other consequences of climate change. And as Simon Crittle at International Development Enterprises (iDE) explains, women are disproportionately impacted by these challenges. He discusses an iDE program that trains farmers in Zambia to sell climate-smart agricultural inputs and services to their fellow smallholders — an initiative that it demonstrates the impact market-based interventions can have in preparing women farmers to play a leading role in addressing the climate crisis.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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