Ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Paris (COP21) set for December 2015, Prof. Shyama V. Ramani was asked to give a lecture as part of the “Economists Facing Climate Change” series. Here she explains the links between poverty and climate change: what the problems are and how we — globally — can address them. There is increasing acknowledgement of the premise that climate change is real, its impact is worldwide and it is in the interest of all countries to not only mitigate climate chan...
How can we nurture eco-innovation in developing countries? How can we support the market for renewable energy technology? How can we assist energy efficiency initiatives, particularly in agriculture and industry? At a conference in Berlin hosted by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Prof. René Kemp spoke about the strategies needed to support eco-innovation in emerging economies. During his keynote speech, 27 January 20...
There is a huge and mostly untapped market for organic solar cells, in everything from construction to consumer goods. But how can we improve the design, roll out and marketability of these advanced nanomaterials? And how do we bridge the gaps between research institutes and the business community? These were the questions tackled at the latest ORGANEXT project meeting, 14 January 2014, in Maastricht. Delegates shared the latest insights on organic semi-conducting nanomaterials, from advanced re...
This year’s UN-Habitat Global Report on Human Settlements is dedicated to sustainable mobility. In its foreword, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlights the urgent need to invest in urban transport to ensure sustainable development around the world. Undoubtedly, 2014 will see a multiplication of the global actions for sustainable transport that we’ve witnessed in 2013. For decades, developing countries followed the failed US suburban development model; a model based on addiction to car...