In a not too distant future, in a galaxy very similar to ours, the statistics will be all remote. Satellites will take photos and scan the entire surface of a given country, or a region. Algorithms tuned for many years with intense validation work in the field, will prepare maps of agricultural areas, livestock, forest, fallow land and other types of uses. Based on these maps … [Read more...] about Project for the Improvement of the Agricultural Statistical Information System
How much is it going to cost to decarbonize the transport sector in Costa Rica?
President Carlos Alvarado together with the first lady, Claudia Dobles, recently presented the Decarbonization Plan of Costa Rica. The plan is based on the Paris Agreement that seeks to limit the increase in global temperature well below 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels. Climate science is clear; to get there we need to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero between 2050 … [Read more...] about How much is it going to cost to decarbonize the transport sector in Costa Rica?
Bringing ecosystem valuation/environmental accounting on the public balance sheet: the case for the Yallahs & Hope River watersheds in Jamaica
Over the course of the past two decades in the Caribbean, there have been various project attempts to develop environmental or natural capital accounting by promoting the application of economic valuation methods to land or marine based ecosystems. These efforts have often been mostly research-oriented, ad hoc, and locally targeted. None, if any, of them has materialized … [Read more...] about Bringing ecosystem valuation/environmental accounting on the public balance sheet: the case for the Yallahs & Hope River watersheds in Jamaica
Why the Guarani Aquifer Agreement is the Sustainable Groundwater Policy Innovation We Need
Groundwater accounts for one third of the world’s unfrozen, fresh water resources, providing 50% of drinking water and the main source of water for major industries, particularly irrigation (UN-IGRAC 2019). For each of the past 50 years, the global demand for groundwater has doubled, leading to one third of international basins currently experiencing groundwater storage … [Read more...] about Why the Guarani Aquifer Agreement is the Sustainable Groundwater Policy Innovation We Need
Five steps to include disaster risk management in infrastructure projects
The Word disaster originates from the Greek dis (a negative prefix) and astrum (star), indicating a bad omen, whereas resilience comes from re (repeat) and silire (get ahead) – the ability to get back on track and overcome. At the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), we are committed to make all projects RESILIENT whether or not they are exposed to natural disasters. Latin … [Read more...] about Five steps to include disaster risk management in infrastructure projects