Sustainable infrastructure? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Maybe once it was, but in the future, if done right, it could be a huge opportunity. The stakes couldn’t be higher to build the right kind of infrastructure. We are in the midst of an unprecedented infrastructure boom that is forever changing the face of our planet, with human needs and economic growth stressing natural … [Read more...] about Is “sustainable infrastructure” yet another buzzword? Not if you work in impact assessment!
Environmental and Social Safeguards
Where will we get one million trees? Five lessons from a reforestation project
The Norte Grande Electricity Transmission Program in Argentina, financed by the IDB, included an extra high tension transmission line to strengthen the national power grid and facilitate competition in the wholesale generation market. That line, which unites the provinces of Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy, Santiago del Estero, Chaco and Formosa, was almost 1,200 kilometers long and … [Read more...] about Where will we get one million trees? Five lessons from a reforestation project
Top four ways to improve Environmental and Health and Safety aspects in Haiti
On my way to the Caracol Industrial Park in the North of Haiti, I was observing the precarious way in which goods and people are often transported. Luggage, goods for market, livestock, and people often squeeze onto any available space on colorful tap-taps or speeding moto-taxis. Having worked in Haiti for the IDB for over 5 years, watching traffic go by reminded me of how … [Read more...] about Top four ways to improve Environmental and Health and Safety aspects in Haiti
What do condoms, safeguards, and sustainable development have in common?
In the state of Acre, a remote corner of the western Brazilian Amazon, lies the staple of the rubbertappers’ livelihoods, latex. This milky fluid is released when the rubber tree is cut and hardens once it’s exposed to the air. Latex has been a vital source of income for vulnerable forest communities for decades. However, up until the late 1990s, the combination of unclear … [Read more...] about What do condoms, safeguards, and sustainable development have in common?
Two ways governments put a price on forests
Forests are highly valued for the wood and other non-timber products they provide such as fruit, food, medicinal products, and countless other benefits with aesthetic and spiritual value. Forests also play an important role in protecting the soil, generating water and oxygen, and housing very rich biodiversity. Their value to humanity is immeasurable. These attributes of … [Read more...] about Two ways governments put a price on forests