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Is Latin America and the Caribbean Really Just 1% Circular?: A New Report Highlights the Hidden Role of Informal Workers in the Circular Economy
Latin America and the Caribbean is 1% circular — far below the global average of 7.2% — according to a recent Circle Economy Foundation report. That means just 1% of all the materials flowing through the region’s economy get a second life through repair, recycling or other means. But Ana Birliga Sutherland and Esther Goodwin Brown at Circle Economy Foundation explain that this number doesn't reflect the contributions of informal workers. They discuss the key role these workers play in the circular economy, and the need for more data and other efforts to support them.
- Categories
- Environment, WASH
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The Graduation Approach isn’t Just for Extreme Poverty: An Innovative Project Leverages it to Rebuild Livelihoods After Forced Relocation
The Graduation Approach is a proven way to sustainably build the livelihoods of people living in extreme poverty. But as Anton Simanowitz at Social Performance Solutions explains, it is also being leveraged in contexts that go beyond poverty alleviation. He discusses one such application, exploring a pilot program that used the Graduation Approach to rebuild livelihoods in a community that experienced forced relocation due to mining activities.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Achieving the SDGs in the World’s Most Vulnerable Countries: Why the Private Sector Must Recommit to Financing Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States
It's widely recognized that the world is not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. And as Isabella Massa and Samory Toure at the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network explain, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing unique obstacles to their SDG agendas. They explore the economic, geophysical and environmental vulnerabilities that SIDS face, and call for the private sector to step up its commitment to financing SDG progress in these countries.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing
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Scaling Climate Finance for Smallholder Agriculture: Lessons Learned from Partnering with Farmer-Allied Businesses
Small-scale agriculture supports the livelihoods of more than 600 million families and generates over 40% of jobs in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Yet as Elizabeth Teague at Root Capital points out, agricultural livelihoods are highly vulnerable to climate change, and smallholder farmers receive just 1.7% of global climate financing. She discusses how Root Capital is working with farmer-allied enterprises to help close this gap, sharing what they’ve learned about how to design and scale climate financing for smallholder communities.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Investing
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From Trash Barriers to ‘Sky Latrines’: Leveraging Entrepreneurship to Address WASH-Related Challenges in Cambodia’s Floating Villages
Cambodia faces a number of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)-related challenges — particularly in the floating villages and dense lakeside communities around the Mekong River. As Simon Crittle at iDE explains, these waterways are heavily contaminated, causing residents to suffer from waterborne diseases. He explores how iDE is addressing these issues by helping local community members create and monetize waste-management solutions — providing livelihoods for women entrepreneurs in the process.
- Categories
- Environment, Social Enterprise, Technology, WASH
- Tags
- hygiene, recycling, sanitation, waste, water, women entrepreneurs
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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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