We found this letter from Acumen Fund’s CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, poignant and important, which is why we’ve chosen to share it with you. Pakistan needs all the help it can get. Please do what you can to help. Kim & Nina Dear Kim & Nina, I just spent five days in Pakistan with my husband, Chris Anderson, invited by Acumen’s community to see for ourselves what is happening on the ground regarding the floods that have displaced 20 million individuals and destroyed 1.2 million (and damaged 4-5 million) homes. Over 5,000 miles of roads have been washed away, and some Continue reading
International Development
World Bank gets an earful on its plan to tackle energy poverty
Back in January the World Bank set out on a “listening tour” to ask people what they thought should be included in the Bank’s Energy Strategy, which is set to be released next year.
Now, six months and 1,700 comments later, the people have spoken and the results are probably raising more than a few eyebrows inside the World Bank.
Marketing to the BoP, the death of appropriate technology, and false green solutions
Best of the Web, Monday, 13th September (Click on the titles to read the full story.) 1. If you’re trying to sell stoves or briquettes to the energy poor, then this one’s for you! Marketing to the bottom of the pyramid – Almost a third of the world’s population earns $2.50 or less a day. The enormity of this disparity takes my breath away, but there’s an interesting flip side to it: That’s a market of more than five billion dollars a day. Add the next segment ($5 a day) and it’s easy to see that every single day, the Continue reading
World Bank appoints clean energy “czar”
09 Sep 2010 17:02:03 GMT Source: Reuters * Second big World Bank hire in sector in recent months * Bank has been criticized for recent coal plant loan WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – The World Bank on Thursday said it has appointed a California professor to lead its efforts to foster growth of alternative energy programs in developing countries. Daniel Kammen, an energy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, will be chief technical specialist for renewable energy and energy efficiency, the bank said. The position was created amid unprecedented demand from developing countries for support to address development and Continue reading
Struggle to agree UN summit kickstart for Millennium goals
By Tim Witcher (AFP) – 1 day ago UNITED NATIONS — World powers are moving slowly toward an accord on the strategy to be embraced at a looming United Nations summit aiming to get the lofty Millennium Development Goals back on track. Ten years after more than 150 leaders set eight ambitious targets for 2015 — ranging from cutting child mortality rates by two thirds, to halving the number of people living in absolute poverty and spreading access to the Internet — none are likely to be reached, experts say. Fallout from the financial crisis, a lack of will and Continue reading