Updates from Environment for Development, a global network of researchers solving the world’s most urgent environmental and development challenges.

Newsletter from EfD

October 2021

Dear friend of Environment for Development,

We're now counting down the days to our virtual Annual Meeting. We hope we will see you there! You will find information about it in this newsletter and also a link to register! To wet your appetite, you will meet two of our eminent Annual Meeting keynote speakers below.

As the political leaders meet for COP26 in Glasgow, we are happy to report on a side-event by EfD associates who will present their new EfD book on the political economy on coal. EfD has also been commissioned by IDRC to develop a research agenda for low-carbon transitions the Global South. And there are more climate related news including a “must read” report on climate policy and a commentary on the latest IMF report on carbon pricing.

But there are of course many more news from our EfD network, including how EfD helps policymakers implement evidence-based policies for an inclusive green transition, how the most obvious solutions to air pollution are not always the best ones and the latest reports on published work and members who have received honorable recognitions.

You receive this newsletter because we believe that you share our passion for the environment and development! It provides you with the latest news and research from our network.

Join us at our Annual Meeting on November 15th-19th, 2021!

It will be held virtually on November 15-19, 2021, at 14:00-17:00 CET (UTC +1). The program includes keynote speakers and parallel session presentations with proposals and EfD collaborative program policy discussions. Presentations will cover EfD themes such as agriculture, air quality, biodiversity, carbon pricing, climate change, conservation, energy, experiments, fisheries, forestry, gender, health, land, and policy design.
The last day of the conference is dedicated to the project “Inclusive Green Transitions for Sustainable Development in the Global South”. This project is funded by IDRC.
The virtual meeting is open to the public (that is, no conference fee). However, participants would have to register before the conference.

For more information on the EfD Annual Meetings, please contact EfD’s Program Manager Susanna Olai.

See the preliminary program.

Watch out for our weekly update on this year’s EfD Annual Meeting.

REGISTER HERE!

"Biodiversity, economy, and social wellbeing go hand in hand"

Alexandre Antonelli. Photo: Magnus Bergström.

What do Prince Charles and Leonardo DiCaprio have in common? At least one thing: the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Meet its Director of Science, Alexandre Antonelli, a man passionate about biodiversity and fighting climate change, and one of the brilliant key-note speakers at EfD's Annual Meeting!

“We look for win-win situations”

Elizabeth Robinson. Photo: Private.

Elizabeth Robinson is the Director of the prestigious Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, at the London School of Economics. EfD is proud to present her as one of the keynote speakers at EfD’s Annual Meeting in November 2021.

EfD develops research agenda for a low-carbon transition in the Global South

Photo: Getty Images.

While the world leaders are gathering in Glasgow to determine the political contributions to solve the climate crisis, the international research community is also ready to do its part. EfD has been selected by the IDRC to develop an actionable research agenda for low-carbon transitions for the Global South.
Learn more about this comprehensive project!

MCC hosts side event at COP26

Michael Jakob is one of the editors of the book that the event is based on.
Photo: MCC.

The EfD partner institution Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) will host a side event on “The Political Economy of Coal and its Implications for Clean Energy Transitions” at COP26. It's based on a forthcoming book edited by EfD and MCC researchers Michael Jakob and Jan C. Steckel.

IMF report stresses the imminent need for correct carbon pricing

Photo: Maxim Tolchinskiy, Unsplash.

A recent report from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, underlines the urgency of ending the subsidies of fossil fuels and implementing carbon taxes globally. This report contains a global, regional and country-specific update. The message is very clear: The world needs a correct price on carbon that accounts for its real costs, but currently the development is heading the wrong way. Read EfD researcher Thomas Sterner's blog post where he comments on this!

EfD Nigeria arranged a workshop for journalists

Participants in the workshop. Photo: Inya Agha Egwu.

EfD Nigeria organized a one-day workshop for journalists who cover environmental beats in major Nigerian media. The journalists were impressed and excited over the possibility to use EfD’s website as a repository of reliable resources for environmental reporting. Read about this interesting initiative!

A must-read: No Brainers and Low-Hanging Fruit in National Climate Policy

Cover design by Jana Kreisl.

The title speaks for itself! Many actions that should be taken to mitigate climate change are indeed low-hanging fruits! This report, published by Centre for Economic Policy Research, CEPR, covers actions tailormade for several countries. Chapter four No brainers in India is written by EfD researchers Shoibal Chakravarty and E. Somanathan. Read this excellent and inspirational material!

Using EfD research idea to achieve the first zero-waste campus in Vietnam

Students at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City digging into the task of getting a zero-waste campus. Photo: EfD.

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has launched an initiative promoting zero-waste practices on its campus. This is done together with the environmental non-profit Vietnam Zero Waste Organization (VZWA). UEH will be the first zero-waste campus in Vietnam. Read about this exciting project and "role model campaign" in a double meaning!

Academics learned about the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting

Participants listening to a lecture about SEEA. Photo: EfD-Mak Centre.

Academics from universities in Uganda participated in a seminar on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). "An eye-opener" was one of the comments from the participants. Read about this interesting seminar!

High-level stakeholders participated in workshop on Inclusive Green Economy

IGE Tanzania fellows with senior government officials participated in the workshop. Photo: EfD.

Senior officers from several Tanzanian ministries participated in the workshop. The purpose was to discuss key policy instruments to use to achieve a green, inclusive economy. The workshop included great presentations and constructive discussions – promising for the development in Tanzania. Read more about this!

What can the case of Bogotá teach us about solving air pollution problems?

Air pollution in Bogotà. Photo: Jorge Bonilla.

People in low-income areas are often not only suffering from social inequalities but also pollution. If you can see the whole picture, you have a better chance to implement successful policies. EfD Researchers Jorge Bonilla and Claudia Aravena have studied the impact of three different policies. In this interview Jorge Bonilla explains what they learned!

Using market-based incentives to help improve environmental management

Photo: KM L, Pexels.

Urbanization often comes at the cost of the natural environment. Traditional regulations have limited effects, highlighting the need for market-based policy approaches for better environmental management. A recent study published by the Asia Development Bank, with the participation of over a dozen EfD researchers, highlights such approaches in Asia. Read an interview with one of the authors, Reza Daniels, and download this interesting report!

Promoting alternative livelihoods shown to have a win-win effect

Photo: Rocío del Pilar Moreno-Sanchez, EfD.

The livelihoods of fishing communities have been studied by EfD researchers Jorge Higinio Maldonado and Rocio del Pilar Moreno Sanchez and their co-authors Myriam Elizabeth Vargas-Morales and Emilio Leguízamo. You can find a short version of their interesting results in the research brief Understanding Livelihoods of Artisanal Fisheries in Marine Protected Areas in the Colombian Caribbean.
They found that promoting income-generating activities other than fishing might generate a win-win scenario, reducing the exploitation of resources while improving the standard of living for local communities located around strategic zones for biodiversity conservation, such as marine protected areas.

Professor Rohini Somanathan first woman in India to be elected to the Econometric Society

Professor Rohini Somanathan. Photo: EfD.

Rohini Somanathan, a Senior Research Fellow at EfD India has been elected as one of the 2021 fellows of The Econometric Society. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious associations of academic economists. She shares this honour with economists like Amartya Sen (the first Indian economist to win the Nobel Prize in Economics), Sukhamoy Chakravarty, CR Rao, and Kaushik Basu. Read more about this!

Director of EfD Nigeria receives the national award of Outstanding Lecturer

Nnaemeka Chukwuone (left) receives the award from Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria, Boss Mustapha. Photo: EfD.

The Nigerian Government has conferred a national Outstanding Teacher/Lecturer award to the Director of EfD Nigeria, Nnaemeka Chukwuone.
The Federal Government recognizes deserving Nigerians for their significant contributions in a range of sectors. Read more about this!

Two Stephan Klasen Fellowships

The Faculty of Business and Economics at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen advertises two Stephan Klasen Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers in development economics from low- and middle-income countries.

Busy? You can get a short version!

Are you interested in research on environment and development, but prefer to read a summary of the most important findings? Then you must check out our research briefs! You will find much of our research presented in a short and easy-to-read version on our website.

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