We’ve all heard, on more than one occasion, that Latin America is the world’s pantry or the final frontier in agriculture, sayings that are under threat given climate change and variability projections. Twenty-two percent of the world’s cultivated land is expected to experienced negative impacts from climate change by the year 2050. Water scarcity caused by temporal and spatial … [Read more...] about Resilient Agriculture: A Vision Transcending the Farm
A “handle with care” approach for protecting the environment
The term “white glove” can be commonly associated with providing meticulous and delicate attention to a service provided, and to “handle with care”. On this World Environment Day, we’d like to share a new approach that takes this concept and applies it to our natural world. After all, we only have one Earth and its natural habitat should be treated with care to ensure there is … [Read more...] about A “handle with care” approach for protecting the environment
An essential script for environmental and social impact assessments
When I was young I wanted to be a movie scriptwriter. I ended up being just a sociologist, but I still remember something I read back then about how a good script sequence should look like. For example, in the classic “boy meets girl” plot, first the central characters are presented, then they meet; then something happens to them –they may fight and later reconcile, or … [Read more...] about An essential script for environmental and social impact assessments
Why restoring native forests in Haiti will jumpstart its development
In my travels around Haiti, by foot, car, tap-tap, moto-taxi and airplane over the past several years, I’ve witnessed the evident lack of forest cover on the hillsides. Small wonder that every year the rains bring flooding to the lowlands and loss of life, homes and crops. But these tragedies are further exacerbated because, in the absence of forest cover, hillsides are unable … [Read more...] about Why restoring native forests in Haiti will jumpstart its development
Meeting the challenge of sustainable infrastructure needs to meet the challenge with public-private collaboration?
Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean keep demonstrating their commitment to sustainable development. Adopting the 2030 Agenda and ratifying the Paris agreement showed their willingness to remain well below 2C degrees Celsius. Such commitments require mobilizing enormous amounts of resources, in particular from private sector investors. This week, I had the pleasure … [Read more...] about Meeting the challenge of sustainable infrastructure needs to meet the challenge with public-private collaboration?