Blog archives
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China’s investments, Africa’s forests: from raw deals to mutual gains?
19 June 2019The grand-scale Belt and Road Initiative is driving ever greater Chinese investment in Africa’s forests. But will the benefits of this ‘development’ reach local people? And will it be sustainable? A recent IIED project in Cameroon highlights both the potential and the pitfalls of surging investment
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Keeping Bolivia’s culture alive through food
18 June 2019On Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), guest blogger Angel Ramos explores initiatives that are helping to preserve Bolivia’s rich food heritage
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Climate action: let’s be bold in Bonn
14 June 2019As the UN climate change conference kicks off in Bonn on Monday (17 June), Subhi Barakat calls for negotiators to be bolder and braver with an emphasis on action
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Achieving transformational change for the ocean
11 June 2019Making progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14 – life below water – is a complex and increasingly urgent challenge. A new handbook offers practical guidance on monitoring, evaluation and learning for SDG14, and emphasises the importance of using systems thinking
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It is time to control fishing on the high seas to protect the life of the ocean and coastal people who depend on it
8 June 2019As the state of the ocean continues to grab headlines, World Oceans Day (8 June) is an opportunity to make sure new measures to govern the high seas include fishing – the greatest threat to life in the deep ocean
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Steering gender to the centre of the blue economy
6 June 2019This year World Oceans Day (8 June) focuses on promoting gender equality in all ocean-related activities. Eugenia Merayo looks at the challenges women face – and says a sustainable blue economy must involve the active representation and participation of both women and men at all levels
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Making Indian cities inclusive means making them more walkable
5 June 2019Walking, cycling and using public transport are the main ways of getting around Indian cities. But as India's cities expand and car ownership increases, pedestrians are being marginalised – and their safety is being put at risk
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To stay ahead of climate change, cities need to act now
4 June 2019How can cities in low- and middle-income countries address climate change risks? IIED's David Satterthwaite looks at the challenges facing city governments across the world
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Leading on nature: can the new Secretary of State deliver bold action on environment and poverty?
31 May 2019The UK's new Secretary of State for International Development has impressed with a strong public statement on the need to focus aid funding on climate and environmental challenges. IIED welcomes his commitment, and suggests an agenda for action
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Climate adaptation: its time is now
29 May 2019As adaptation shares more of the limelight, champions of community-based adaption have messages on three key areas that international policymakers must hear
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Vietnamese forest and farm producers work towards more resilient livelihoods and landscapes
27 May 2019As the UN launches the Decade of Family Farming, Duncan Macqueen considers the role of the Forest and Farm Facility programme in improving incomes, employment and sustainable agricultural practices for Vietnamese farmers
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Why the UK parliamentary committee recommendations on international climate finance are so important
23 May 2019The International Development Committee recently published its findings on UK aid for combating climate change. Clare Shakya, IIED’s director of climate change, gave evidence at the parliamentary inquiry and writes what the UK needs to do to make sure money reaches where it matters most
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Wild meat: is there an appetite for alternatives?
21 May 2019The age-old tradition of hunting wild meat has, in many cases, become unsustainable. Efforts to change local habits have had little effect. Ahead of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, guest blogger Stephanie Brittain argues that to protect biodiversity, without compromising health and livelihoods, we need to understand much more about why people eat wild meat
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Adapting to climate change in Europe: building a systemic and urgent vision
15 May 2019The fourth European Climate Change Adaptation conference takes place in Lisbon later this month. Susannah Fisher and Andrew Norton argue that researchers can play an important role in raising Europe’s ambitions on adaptation by highlighting whole systems approaches and transformative public narratives
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Come on board: IIED seeks new chair
10 May 2019As IIED seeks a chair for our international board of trustees, director Andrew Norton considers how a strong new strategy and surge in public awareness of the climate emergency make this an exciting time to join us
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‘Participatory’ adaptation plans aren’t working for migrants in cities
9 May 2019A paper in the latest issue of the journal Environment and Urbanization highlights how urban plans for adapting to climate change often leave out migrant populations living in informal settlements. Guest bloggers Eric Chu and Kavya Michael call for a rethink.
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Development organisations beware! Biodiversity loss is not just an environmental issue
29 April 2019Dilys Roe explains why development organisations can no longer remain absent from debates on how to tackle dangerous declines in biodiversity
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The Paris Agreement always needed Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg
24 April 2019Extinction Rebellion’s climate protests signal a moment of hope, writes IIED director Andrew Norton. Big shifts rarely happen without a major challenge from people demanding action
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Cooperation vs. competition over shared fish stocks
23 April 2019When fisheries straddle national borders, cooperation between countries to manage their shared resources sustainably and equitably is vital. Bangladesh and Myanmar have come together to work out the best way to do this for the hilsa shad, one of the region’s most commercially and culturally important fish
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Business as usual – or business with purpose?
17 April 2019As we launch our new strategy, Laura Kelly, director of IIED’s Shaping Sustainable Markets research group, considers how the private sector can respond to development and environmental challenges – and how IIED can support business to deliver positive change
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Announcing our new strategy: Make Change Happen
8 April 2019Andrew Norton introduces our new five-year strategy, which sets out IIED's response to the critical challenges of our time – and how we intend to work for a fairer future for all
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Unsmart, unsafe cities for informal workers: effective policy change will need better data
5 April 2019How can urban health policy be effective when the data on residents’ and workers’ leading causes of premature death, illness and injury is inadequate? A new project with partners in Zimbabwe and India seeks to fill the data gaps and support informal workers’ well-being
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Modern food systems to emerge in new decade of family farming
4 April 2019Global farmers affirmed the vital relevance of small-holders at the World Rural Forum in Bilbao, Spain recently, highlighting how through innovative approaches they will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals over the next ten years
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Covering elephant tracks: can insurance compensate farmers for wildlife damage?
27 March 2019A new IIED-led project in Kenya and Sri Lanka is exploring whether insurance schemes can compensate women and men small-scale farmers for crop and property damage caused by human-wildlife conflict, primarily from elephants
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Development finance and land rights: how we can do better
22 March 2019Ahead of the World Bank conference on land and poverty, Lorenzo Cotula and Brendan Schwartz discuss how development finance institutions can better address land rights issues