Category: Poverty / Economic Development

Video: Is Drought In East Africa The New Normal?

by Francesco Fiondella | 5.3.2012 at 11:31pm
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A video interview with climate scientist Bradfield Lyon, who explains his latest research on what’s driving rainfall patterns in parts of East Africa.

Seminar on the History of Science and Sustainable Development

by Guest Blogger | 5.2.2012 at 3:20pm

The focus of sustainable development is international and collaborative, as much focused on innovations in research as on education and practice. There is an effort from sustainably-minded organizations, such as the Earth Institute, to bring together multidisciplinary experts to research, educate and solve problems.

Drill Down into Africa Soils Projects

by Earth Institute | 5.2.2012 at 12:54pm
Africa Soil Infdormation Service

The Africa Soil Information Service has upgraded its website with a new layout, easier navigation and updates on project activities. A growing set of features provides information for managing soil and land in Africa, including an interactive map tool that allows you to choose layers and areas of interest that can be downloaded.

Population, Consumption and the Future

by David Funkhouser | 4.27.2012 at 4:16pm | 1 Comment
RS report CO2 thumbnail

As the world population grows toward 10 billion, consumption of water, food and energy is expanding at a rate that cannot be maintained without depleting the planet’s resources. If we fail to address these two issues together, we face a grim future of economic, social and environmental ills, warns a new report prepared by a group of scientists and other experts for the Royal Society.

Student Researcher Helps Promote Trade and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Guest Blogger | 4.19.2012 at 2:41pm
Philipp Petermann

by Kaci Fowler Originally from Germany, Philipp Petermann comes to the Earth Institute through an exchange program between Columbia University and the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, or Sciences Po, a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France. In May, Philipp will graduate with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science [...]

From Sendai to Rio: A Call for Action

by David Funkhouser | 4.13.2012 at 10:25am
Japan damage from 2011 tsunami

The people living on the northeast coast of Japan had learned to expect large earthquakes. But despite being one of the best-prepared nations, they were caught off-guard by the force of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated their coastline and led to the meltdown of reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. [...]

Growing Food, Protecting the Land in Africa

by Earth Institute | 4.9.2012 at 11:56am
Smallholder oil palm production in Ghana: Market development and improved management can increase profitability of cash crops but the tradeoff of this intensification on the environment must be evaluated. Photo: Millennium Promise

The new Africa Monitoring System aims to help land managers and policy makers identify and tackle tradeoffs between intensified food production on the African continent and the vital services provided by healthy ecosystems.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation Contributes to the Port-à-Piment Millennium Village

by Tracy Slagle | 3.26.2012 at 5:05pm
Students at the École Nationale de Randel. The Ecole Nationale de Randel, as with many schools in the Port-à-Piment watershed, operates with limited facilities, few pedagogical materials, and high student-to-teacher ratios.

The Earth Institute has begun implementing an innovative project throughout the South Department of Haiti, and has added a new partner to this critical work, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The work includes the Côte Sud Initiative, covering all communes within the South Department, and the recent launch of the first Millennium Village in the Western Hemisphere in the Port-à-Piment watershed.

Making Connections and Celebrating Literacy, City to City

by Susan Blaustein | 3.22.2012 at 3:59pm
Students from Kisumu Day High School for Boys Celebrate World Read Aloud Day.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, where MCI is working to help selected secondary cities attain the Millennium Development Goals, more than 150 million adults, or 38% of the adult population, lack basic literacy skills. Fortunately, a number of organizations are working hard to change this. LitWorld, a NY-based NGO dedicated to improving global literacy and a long-time MCI partner, held its third annual World Read Aloud Day on March 7, which presented an opportunity to engage in literacy-building exercises and advocate for global learning opportunities. Students from several Millennium Cities participated, joining others around the world to honor learning and literacy.

Photo Essay: India, Water, Culture

by Jeremy Hinsdale | 3.22.2012 at 12:49pm | 2 Comments
Residents of Kusumpur Pahari, a slum in south New Delhi, fill containers with water from a municipal Delhi Jal Board tanker.

Take a photographic journey from the crowded streets of Delhi, through the parched state of Rajasthan, and into the farmlands of north Gujarat to get a closer look at some of the many ways water affects the lives of millions of Indians every day.