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World Ocean Summit Coming to Mexico March 7-9: NextBillion Readers Get 20% Discount
The fifth World Ocean Summit will be held at Riviera Maya, Mexico, on March 7-9, 2018, and will grapple with some of the most intractable problems plaguing the world's oceans — as well as explore new possibilities. The Economist Group puts on the event, which will convene 360+ global leaders, for a constructive and solution-focused dialogue. NextBillion readers can get a 20 percent discount on tickets.
- Categories
- Environment
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How microcredit can help poor countries after natural disasters
BOTH, in different ways, worry about liquidity. And global warming may, indeed, be bringing meteorologists and financiers together. On January 18th, VisionFund, a microlending charity, and Global Parametrics, a venture that crunches climate and seismic data, launched what they billed as the “world’s largest non-governmental climate-insurance programme”. The scheme will offer microfinance to about 4m people across six countries in Asia and Africa affected by climate-change-related calamities.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment
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These Bold Ideas Aim To Make Plastic Waste A Thing Of The Past
The winners of a recent contest hosted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation all start with one fundamental concept: We can–and must–replace non-recyclable materials on the market with biodegradable alternatives.
- Categories
- Environment
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The world is failing to achieve a circular economy—here’s how to change that
Less than a tenth of the billions of tonnes of resources pumped into the global economy every year are reused, and this waste incurs a huge economic, environmental, and social cost. How do we make the global economy more circular?
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
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Ant Financial and the Greening of Fintech
The fintech boom has certainly re-shaped the way business is done and fashioned societal shifts in China’s consumer market; it is changing behaviors. Can the fintech boom also create opportunities to help spur sustainable development?
- Categories
- Environment, Inclusive Fintech
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Press release: Largest Non-Governmental Climate Insurance Program Launches for African & Asian Smallholder Farmers
Over 690,000 families totalling up to four million people living in six low-income countries stand to benefit from a new climate insurance programme launched today by VisionFund International, World Vision’s microfinance arm and Global Parametrics, a new venture funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and by the InsuResilience Investment Fund, set up by German development bank KfW and managed by Swiss-based impact investment manager BlueOrchard Finance. Financing for the initial preparation and assessment required to implement the programme came from the Rockefeller Foundation and FMO, the Dutch development bank.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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This $118 million mutual fund pays companies in carbon credits
What does the growth of a smallholder milk farm in Kenya have to do with the success of institutional investor SAP? The Livelihoods Carbon Fund, a newly launched impact investment fund, ties global sustainable economic development to emissions reduction from Danone, SAP, Schneider Electric and five other corporations. Launched Dec. 11 — just before the International Climate Summit in Paris — the fund aims to reach about a $118 million investment in ecosystem restoration, agroforestry and renewable energy projects next year in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which will avoid or sequester up to 25 million tons of CO2 over 20 years.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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What was the Most Influential NextBillion Post of 2017? Vote for Your Favorite
“Fast away the old year passes.” That lyric from “Deck the Halls” always hits home this time of year – and in 2017, it resonates particularly strongly. Across the social sectors, the year often felt like a race against time (or against competing societal forces) and many of our most popular posts reflect that sense of urgency. Here are the most influential posts from the last twelve months, one from each month, in our sixth annual holiday contest. Vote early, vote often.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Health Care, Impact Assessment, Inclusive Fintech, Investing, NextBillion Originals, Technology
- Tags
- agriculture, business development, development impact bonds, digital finance, digital payments, financial inclusion, fintech, impact investing, microcredit, microfinance, mobile banking, mobile finance, mobile money, NextBillion.net, research, smallholder farmers, social business, social enterprise, social impact, solar, solar energy
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