White Elephants and the Urban Challenges of Brasilia

Two white elephants - a huge football stadium that draws almost no fans and an empty 16-building complex that was to be the new headquarters of the district government – reflect Brasília’s challenges as a metropolis, beyond its role as the capital of Brazil.

Coal Pollution Continues to Spread in Latin America

Despite growing global pressure to reduce the use of coal to generate electricity, several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean still have projects underway for expanding this polluting energy source.

The Mekong, Dammed to Die

In Laos, the lush forests are alive with the whines of drills that pierce the air. On the Mekong, a giant concrete wall rises slowly above the trees. The Don Sahong dam is a strong symbol, not only for a power-hungry Asia but also for what critics fear is a disaster in the making.

The Harsh Plight of 152 Million Child Labourers

While trillions of dollars are being spent on exploring remote galaxies, Planet Earth is still home to harsh realities that could be easily –and much less expensively—resolved. One of them is that worldwide 152 million children are currently victims of child labour.

Conservation Agriculture: Zambia’s Double-edged Sword against Climate Change and Hunger

As governments gather in Bonn, Germany for the next two weeks to hammer out a blueprint for implementation of the global climate change treaty signed in Paris in 2015, a major focus will be on emissions reductions to keep the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C by 2020.

Protein Plants Bolster Animal Feed in Cuba

Based on protein plants, pasture and fodder, Orlando Corrales produces cow and goat milk on a farm located next to a major road in the Cuban capital. "We do not use any industrial feed here," he says proudly.

Climate Change Summit a Step Further, Yes… But Where To?

The UN Climate Change Summit in Bonn is a step further, most experts say. Fine, but towards what?

Semaine mondiale de la croissance verte (GGGW)

Plus de 600 représentants du gouvernement, de cellule de réflexion, du secteur privé et d'autres délégués de 40 pays ont participé à la Semaine mondiale de la croissance verte (GGGW) du 17 au 20 octobre 2017, organisée par la République fédérale démocratique d'Éthiopie et l'Institut mondial sur la croissance verte.

Locals Learn to Live in Harmony with Drought in Brazil’s Semi-arid Region

Irrigated green fields of vineyards and monoculture crops coexist in Brazil’s semiarid Northeast with dry plains dotted with flowering cacti and native crops traditionally planted by the locals. Two models of development in struggle, with very different fruits.

Sustainable Water Management as a Lever for Green Growth in Ethiopia and the Region

Sustainable water supply is imperative for economic growth, but so often gets side-lined in the rush for development. The unanticipated consequence is a global economy that is increasingly stunted by water resource challenges, with worldwide predictions suggesting that global water demand will increase by approximately 75% more than global water supply in the next 30 years!

Impending Drought? There’s an App for That – Or Should Be

Fostering and harnessing innovative technologies could significantly reduce the negative impacts from climate change, including drought, water scarcity and food insecurity in African countries.

Dr. Frank Rijsberman, GGGI Director General, speaks about the successes, lessons and opportunities that emerged from GGGWeek2017

The Global Green Growth Institute, in partnership with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, held Global Green Growth Week 2017 from 17-20 October 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Attended by GGGI members, stakeholders from the public and private sectors, international organizations, and civil society, the GGGWeek2017 sought to strengthen and catalyze green growth in Africa under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Green Growth Potential”.

Cathy Oxby from Africa GreenCo: public-private partnerships could extend cheaper energy to consumers

Over 600 government, think tank, private sector and other delegates from 40 countries attended the Global Green Growth Week (GGGW) 2017, 17 – 20 hosted by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Among key discussions was Africa’s Green Energy Challenges and Off-Grid Solutions. According to Cathy Oxby from Africa GreenCo, public-private partnerships could extend cheaper energy to consumers and help close the gap in cost currently covered by subsidies.

Senegal is quickly adopting green growth as key to its national development strategy

Senegal is quickly adopting green growth as key to its national development strategy. According to Dr. Mahamadou Tounkara, the country already has lessons to share with the rest of Africa, key among them innovative financing strategies and greening cities.

John Macomber from Harvard Business School talks about the role of educational institutions in addressing Africa’s green energy

The Global Green Growth Week 2017, held 17-20 October 2017, by the Global Green Growth Institute in partnership with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, explored a number of topics, among them Africa’s Green Energy Challenges and Off-Grid Solutions. In this interview, John Macomber from Harvard Business School talks about the role of educational institutions in addressing Africa’s green energy challenges and off-grid.

The Roots of Exodus: Why Are People Compelled to Leave their Homes?

Facts are facts, and one of them is that while everybody talks about the growing forced movement of people --be they migrants or refugees—decision-makers haven’t seriously acted on the root causes of why millions of humans are compelled to leave their homes.

Prof. Nii O. Attoh Okine, from the University of Delaware addresses the issue of capacity development and investment in Africa

Prof. Nii O. Attoh Okine - Under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Green Growth Potential”, GGGWeek2017, held 17-20 October 2017 by the Global Green Growth Institute in partnership with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, tackled a number of key topics, among them Africa’s Green Energy Challenges and Off-Grid Solutions.

Global Green Growth Week 2017: Public-private partnerships and China-Africa collaboration towards green growth

Public-private partnerships and China-Africa collaboration towards green growth on the continent were popular themes during the 17-20 October Global Green Growth Week 2017 forum hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute in partnership with the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Kashmir’s Farmland Plowed Under in Wave of Urbanization

In central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, 40-year-old Javaid Ahmad Hurra remembers vividly how his small hamlet used to be lush and green when he was a child. It is now subtly turning into a concrete jungle, with cement structures dominating the scenery.

Cycles of Wealth in Brazil’s Amazon: Gold, Lumber, Cattle and Now, Energy

The burning down of the local forest, on Jun. 29, 1979, was the first step towards the creation of the city of Paranaita, in a municipality that is now trying to shed its reputation as a major deforester of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and has named itself “the energy capital.”

Can Index Insurance Make African Farmers Climate-resilient?

Index insurance is being promoted as a solution to protect climate affected smallholder farmers in Africa. This type of micro insurance is slowly gaining ground as a way of compensating farmers for lost crops and livestock due to climate change.