A few of months ago I read a great book by Atul Gawande (The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right) which makes a compelling argument: when dealing with complexity, we can do better using the simplest of methods – the checklist. After finishing the book, I started implementing checklists in my work for two specific tasks: improving the way I supervise the environmental, … [Read more...] about The Power of Checklists
Forest Restoration: Time to be Smart
In recent years, forest restoration has gained momentum. While international efforts have traditionally focused on stopping deforestation, in light of an ever-growing human population and climate change, conserving existing forests is unlikely to be sufficient. Forest restoration is one of the most promising strategies for tackling some of the major environmental problems of … [Read more...] about Forest Restoration: Time to be Smart
Natural Capital: Climate Change’s first line of defense
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