Ahhhh I want to attend this! I have to check my frequent flier miles!
The Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank will co-host an international Marketplace on Innovative Financial Solutions for Development (2010 MIF) to be held in Paris on March, 4-5 2010.
The 2010 MIF will be dedicated to smart, fine-tuned, innovative financial mechanisms for mobilizing, channeling, and spending funds for development issues. The event will bring together development practioners, donors, philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, academics, representatives from across a range of financial institutions and policy makers to exchange experience and ideas on innovative development finance solutions. The event will be structured around workshops and a marketplace where innovators can showcase their initiatives and projects. The main objectives of the event are to:
The main objectives of the event are to:
* advance the agenda on innovative financial solutions for development;
* facilitate knowledge sharing and learning, including South/South learning, on innovative financial solutions for development, what works and what doesn’t , and how to design solutions to maximize development impact and cost-effectiveness; and
* spur the evolution of cutting-edge projects that apply innovative financial mechanisms to development challenges.
The Competition
A key feature of the 2010 MIF will be a competition to garner and highlight fresh ideas on how innovative financing mechanisms can be used to solve development challenges at the local, country, regional, or global levels, with the goal that successful innovations can be scaled up and replicated.
The winners will be awarded pilot grants of up to US$100,000 to assist them in the implementation of their proposals.
Proposals are welcomed from all organizations involved in innovative finance focused on development, including financial institutions, private-sector companies, social enterprises, non-governmental and civil society organizations, government agencies, universities and other academic organizations, foundations, and development organizations. Guidelines and application forms can be accessed on the 2010 MIF website: www.fininnov.org
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Debt Forgiveness for Haiti!!!!!!!!
With all the tragedy of recent events in Haiti, this is the most inspiring news I've heard so far.
The G7 (Canada, the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) have pledged to write off the debts that Haiti owes them, following a devastating earthquake last month.
Canada's finance minister announced at a summit in Iqaluit, northern Canada, that Group of Seven countries planned to cancel Haiti's bilateral debts.
Jim Flaherty said he would encourage international lenders to do the same.
Some $1.2bn (£800m) of Haiti's debts to countries and international lending bodies has already been cancelled.
"We are committed in the G7 to the forgiveness of debt, in fact all bilateral debt has been forgiven by G7 countries vis-a-vis Haiti," Mr Flaherty said at the end of the two day gathering of finance ministers.
According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8502567.stm)
Noted, this debt should have been forgiven long ago. How, when France was able to profit off NO taxes and FREE (slave) labor for hundreds of years, does Haiti owe France? France owes Haiti! And if Spain France and Portugal and Britain were to moetize and pay back the present value of the free labor thay brutally and inhumanely ravaged through enslavement to all the colonies, all of them would be bankrupt! Free labor gave a leaping head start and a massive unforgivable and immoral foundational advantage to the economies of the West, which is largely responsible for their currentl dominance.
But anyway that is off topic!!!!!
It is wonderful that the G7 has agreed to forgive Haiti's debt and is urging multilaterals to do the same.
The G7 (Canada, the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) have pledged to write off the debts that Haiti owes them, following a devastating earthquake last month.
Canada's finance minister announced at a summit in Iqaluit, northern Canada, that Group of Seven countries planned to cancel Haiti's bilateral debts.
Jim Flaherty said he would encourage international lenders to do the same.
Some $1.2bn (£800m) of Haiti's debts to countries and international lending bodies has already been cancelled.
"We are committed in the G7 to the forgiveness of debt, in fact all bilateral debt has been forgiven by G7 countries vis-a-vis Haiti," Mr Flaherty said at the end of the two day gathering of finance ministers.
According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8502567.stm)
Noted, this debt should have been forgiven long ago. How, when France was able to profit off NO taxes and FREE (slave) labor for hundreds of years, does Haiti owe France? France owes Haiti! And if Spain France and Portugal and Britain were to moetize and pay back the present value of the free labor thay brutally and inhumanely ravaged through enslavement to all the colonies, all of them would be bankrupt! Free labor gave a leaping head start and a massive unforgivable and immoral foundational advantage to the economies of the West, which is largely responsible for their currentl dominance.
But anyway that is off topic!!!!!
It is wonderful that the G7 has agreed to forgive Haiti's debt and is urging multilaterals to do the same.
What is biochar?????
According to wikipedia,
Biochar is charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass, and differs from charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, but for biosequestration or atmospheric carbon capture and storage.[1] Charcoal is a stable solid rich in carbon content, and thus, can be used to lock carbon in the soil. Biochar is of increasing interest because of concerns about climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Carbon dioxide capture also ties up large amounts of oxygen and requires energy for injection (as via carbon capture and storage), whereas the biochar process breaks into the carbon dioxide cycle, thus releasing oxygen as did coal formation hundreds of millions of years ago. Biochar is a way for carbon to be drawn from the atmosphere and is a solution to reducing the global impact of farming (and in reducing the impact from all agricultural waste). Since biochar can sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years[2], it has received considerable interest as a potential tool to slow global warming. The burning and natural decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributes a large amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. Biochar can store this carbon in the ground, potentially making a significant reduction in atmospheric GHG levels; at the same time its presence in the earth can improve water quality, increase soil fertility, raise agricultural productivity and reduce pressure on old growth forests.[3]
The question is- with the costs of biochar and requisite technology, how can it be leveraged for countries that need it most???
Countries like haiti, ethiopia- countries where once fertile landscapes are in virtual disrepair and thus prospect for agricultural auto-sustenance and food security are super dim.
When I find some answers to this, I'll be sure to post.
Biochar is charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass, and differs from charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, but for biosequestration or atmospheric carbon capture and storage.[1] Charcoal is a stable solid rich in carbon content, and thus, can be used to lock carbon in the soil. Biochar is of increasing interest because of concerns about climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Carbon dioxide capture also ties up large amounts of oxygen and requires energy for injection (as via carbon capture and storage), whereas the biochar process breaks into the carbon dioxide cycle, thus releasing oxygen as did coal formation hundreds of millions of years ago. Biochar is a way for carbon to be drawn from the atmosphere and is a solution to reducing the global impact of farming (and in reducing the impact from all agricultural waste). Since biochar can sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years[2], it has received considerable interest as a potential tool to slow global warming. The burning and natural decomposition of trees and agricultural matter contributes a large amount of CO2 released to the atmosphere. Biochar can store this carbon in the ground, potentially making a significant reduction in atmospheric GHG levels; at the same time its presence in the earth can improve water quality, increase soil fertility, raise agricultural productivity and reduce pressure on old growth forests.[3]
The question is- with the costs of biochar and requisite technology, how can it be leveraged for countries that need it most???
Countries like haiti, ethiopia- countries where once fertile landscapes are in virtual disrepair and thus prospect for agricultural auto-sustenance and food security are super dim.
When I find some answers to this, I'll be sure to post.
Jatropha- the magical plant! and a fortune to be made in Ghana and Mexico.
In Ghana recently, I discovered a magical plant that has promise to revolutionize the biofuel industry. This man introduced it to us over dinner- I thought it was olive oil and was going to pour some on my salad! BUT he explained, it was oil from jatropha. The Ghanaians looked interested and perplexed. The oil from Jatropha???
Jatropha, a weed that can grow thrive and multiply in the worst conditions, a weed as common as disdained as poison ivy, a weed poisonous for human consumption- Jatropha, the biofuel of the future!!!!!
According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha)
"Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the Southeast, and the North/Northeast Brazil. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries.[1][6] The railway line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel.[1] In Africa, cultivation of Jatropha is being promoted and it is grown successfully in countries such as Mali.[7] In the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, where also a native variety (Jatropha matacensis) grows, studies have shown suitability of Jatropha cultivation[8] [9] and agro producers are starting to consider planting in the region.[10]"
According to the energy blog (http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/02/jetropha_europe.html)
"Jatropha burns with one fifth the carbon emission of fossil fuels, making Africa's hardscrabble ground a potentially fertile source of energy. Scientists estimate that if even a quarter of the continent's arable land were plowed into jatropha plantations, output would surpass 20 million barrels a day."
Ghana is supposed ramping up production and Mexico may be ramping up production to export to the US market. Currently cultivation is illegal in the US.
Jatropha, a weed that can grow thrive and multiply in the worst conditions, a weed as common as disdained as poison ivy, a weed poisonous for human consumption- Jatropha, the biofuel of the future!!!!!
According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha)
"Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the Southeast, and the North/Northeast Brazil. Likewise, jatropha oil is being promoted as an easily grown biofuel crop in hundreds of projects throughout India and other developing countries.[1][6] The railway line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel.[1] In Africa, cultivation of Jatropha is being promoted and it is grown successfully in countries such as Mali.[7] In the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, where also a native variety (Jatropha matacensis) grows, studies have shown suitability of Jatropha cultivation[8] [9] and agro producers are starting to consider planting in the region.[10]"
According to the energy blog (http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/02/jetropha_europe.html)
"Jatropha burns with one fifth the carbon emission of fossil fuels, making Africa's hardscrabble ground a potentially fertile source of energy. Scientists estimate that if even a quarter of the continent's arable land were plowed into jatropha plantations, output would surpass 20 million barrels a day."
Ghana is supposed ramping up production and Mexico may be ramping up production to export to the US market. Currently cultivation is illegal in the US.
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