Conservation gets a boost from TEEB
Keeping with our mandate of tracking the COP 11 in Hyderabad, this is the second post in the series of “de-Formalizing CBD.” In the previous piece, Ms. Neha Sinha touched on the topic of “The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity” (TEEB) so this time we decided to have perspectives of Dr. Luke Brander on [...]
The CBD fails to Protect India’s Rivers
India has a large number of rivers rich in biodiversity; it is considered a mega diverse country in the context of freshwater biodiversity. Millions of people depend on the riverine biodiversity and rivers for their needs and livelihoods. For Example: 10.8 million people depend on riverine fisheries in India. However, Indian rivers and riverine biodiversity [...]
Where is the Urgency in the Convention on Biological Diversity?
The Convention of Biodiversity (CBD) 11th Conference of Parties (COP-11) is being organized in Hyderabad where currently 193 countries are negotiating on issues surrounding biodiversity conservation. In addition, they are negotiating access to biodiversity & sharing benefits there from, utilization of traditional knowledge, and finance mechanisms to fund conservation. The whole process is very [...]
India’s Blackout Lesson: Coal Failed, Solar Delivered
Of all the headlines around India’s historic blackout none summed up the truth more than the Onion: ”300 million without electricity after restoration of the power grid.” In fact, when asking Indian colleagues about the blackout most acknowledged it as simply par for the course. That’s because India’s over reliance on a centralized grid powered [...]
What India Can Learn From Africa
Guest Post by Konrad App of Stima Systems Both India and Africa are experiencing an affordable-energy crisis in rural areas, however there are two significant differences in the African market that are giving rise to energy solutions not yet seen in India. First, unlike India, an overwhelming majority of the African population lives at the very [...]
Eight19 and The Un Grid
The off grid market continues to expand and attract innovative new business and financial models aimed at delivering energy access for the poor. One of the most recent, Eight19 Ltd., made a splash with an article in The Economist explaining their pay-as-you-go “energy escalator” business model (seen in the graphic above). We sat down with [...]
Helping Social Enterprises Scale Energy Access
Santosh, a local daycare worker, mother and wife living in a rural village needs a solar light that can replace her polluting kerosene lantern. She, like half the world’s population relies on cooking and lighting practices that kill over 2 million people annually. What Santosh needs is a product solution that can avoid these needless [...]