Last December, negotiators from nearly 200 countries gathered in Paris and reached the world´s most significant agreement to address climate change. Countries will aim to keep temperatures from rising more than 2ºC by 2100 and “drive efforts” to keep temperature increases below 1.5ºC. The agreement will also create the financial infrastructure to address climate change and … [Read more...] about Natural Capital: Climate Change’s first line of defense
Beyond the cowboy economy: towards natural capital accounting
In the classic essay “The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth”, the renowned British economist K. Boulding (1966) compared the economy’s conventional vision with that of a “cowboy economy”. The old time cowboy always had another `frontier’ or a place to move to when resources were exhausted. The earth was a place with open spaces without borders and unlimited … [Read more...] about Beyond the cowboy economy: towards natural capital accounting
Regional Policy Dialogue Strengthening Licensing and Enforcement Procedures in the Region
By Grace Menck Figueroa In November 2015, 18 IDB member countries came together in Lima, Peru, to attend an event of the Regional Policy Dialogue (RPD), to share their experiences in the environmental licensing process and the common challenges of ensuring adequate enforcement measures. In addition, the environmental public authorities also discussed ways of increasing … [Read more...] about Regional Policy Dialogue Strengthening Licensing and Enforcement Procedures in the Region
7 key points about the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is expected to come into force from 2020 (and will replace the Kyoto Protocol). I would like to highlight seven key points that you may not know about, and that could help for better understanding of the agreement: The 2°C Goal The agreement sets an ambitious goal of holding global warming to “well below 2°C” and pursuing efforts to limit the … [Read more...] about 7 key points about the Paris Agreement
Can we protect our rivers and continue to build hydropower projects?
By Graham Watkins The “Paris Climate Agreement” was finalized in December 2015. The agreement supports national drives toward reducing global emissions and improving planning and institutional capacities for adaptation and climate resilience. The agreement potentially opens opportunities for additional concessional financing, particularly financing to support the seventh … [Read more...] about Can we protect our rivers and continue to build hydropower projects?