Category: Blog
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COP21 daily updates with Saleemul Huq, December 2015
Saleemul Huq, senior fellow of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), is providing daily reports from the UNFCCC climate talks in Paris, France from 30 November to 11 December 2015. The vlogs include updates from the 13th Development and Climate…
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COP21: Why the Paris talks must tackle climate-forced migration
With the crisis of refugees arriving in to Europe from Syria and other countries in Asia and Africa the topic of climate change, displacement and migration assumes a high level of attention. Much of the debate is characterised by prejudice rather than evidence. We should accept the obvious truism that humans have been moving for…
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The Road to Paris: how can the world’s most vulnerable countries be heard?
(Originally posted on the IIED website here) With a month to go until the start of COP21, Saleemul Huq provides an insight into the perspectives of the Least Developed Countries ahead of the Paris climate talks, as part of a new series of video interviews for IIED. Least Developed Countries must use their “strength…
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Getting Green Climate Funding to the local level
(This article originally published here) Ahead of the Paris climate summit (COP21), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board will decide which of the submitted proposals will receive the first round of funding at its 11th board meeting in Livingstone, Zambia (PDF) (2-5 November 2015). But while there is a clear need for balancing decentralised solutions with…
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Reflections on ICCCAD
My name is Dr. Shadrack M. Kithiia from Kenya. I am currently a senior Lecturer at the University of Nairobi in the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies. My duties are teaching and supervision of both undergraduate and graduate studies. My area of specialization is water resources management and climate change. In 2012, I attended…
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Loans or grants for climate finance?
(Article originally published here) As we approach the Paris climate summit in December the topic of climate finance is becoming more pressing. It was a major topic of the recent IMF meeting in Lima, Peru and will require the involvement of ministers of finance rather than environment to make decisions. The good news is that…
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Why listen to and support the most vulnerable?
(Article originally published here) Four reasons why the voices of the most vulnerable must be heard and prioritised if we are to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals leave no one behind. The declaration for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pledges that no one will be left behind on the collective journey to end poverty, eradicate…
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Field Visit to ADAMs: September 1-3
(Original blog can be found here) Introduction ADAMs, (Association Development Activity Manifold Social Work) is a Non- Governmental Organization working in 10 districts across southern Bangladesh. Founded in 1994, ADAMs now has over 63,000 beneficiaries, the vast majority of which are women. However ADAMs also targets the rural poor, marginalised communities, slum dwellers, environmentally stressed,…
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Reflections on ICCCAD
Arriving in Dhaka on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, my mind was inundated by unknowns. How will my work fit within the centre? Will there be someone to help supervise me and provide me with logistical information? What can I eat other than daal and rice being a vegetarian? These unknowns quickly surpassed upon meeting everyone…
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Solar-Powered Pumps Reduce Irrigation Costs in Bangladesh
(Article originally posted here) Each solar pump can supply electricity for 3 crop irrigations for 20 acres of land. World Bank STORY HIGHLIGHTS Around 45 percent of Bangladesh’s work force is employed in agriculture, which represents an important sector in the country’s economy. Farmers use irrigation pumps to ensure adequate and consistent water…
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Time to agree on a definition of Loss and Damage from Climate Change
International action on loss and damage from climate change is lagging behind the rising frequency and escalating intensity of real impacts. As the Executive Committee members of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) begin to implement the Lima Work Programme on Loss and Damage agreed upon at COP20, an operational definition of loss and damage will enable and guide…
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What would a Paris climate deal mean for the fossil fuel industry?
(This article was originally published here) How is the fossil fuel industry responding to growing pressure to address future emissions in the run-up to the Paris summit? It is just under four months until COP21 gets underway in Paris, and momentum for a deal is building. Consequently, business attention should be starting to evolve…