Increasing Food Security and Education in Africa Through Climate Action

A. Video: Increasing Food Security and Education in Africa Through Climate Action.
Given below is a video presentation by Paul Stevers, which was prepared for the Africa Climate Action Initiative (ACAI) launch event on May 7, 2020:
.
1) To quickly view the slideshow in pdf format, see: Increasing Food Security and Education in Africa Through Climate Action
2) To view the videos of the other speakers at the Africa Climate Action Initiative (ACAI) launch event, see: Full Playlist of Videos of ACAI Launch Event.
.
B. Supporting information

1) Links relating to information referenced in the presentation: Increasing Food Security and Education in Africa Through Climate Action

a) Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019 by the Climate Policy Initiative

b) World Bank Group Announces $200 billion over Five Years for Climate Action

c) As of April 5, 2020, the Climate Bonds Initiative website indicated that in 2019, green bonds issuance was reported to be about $255 billion.

d) Just prior to COP25, The 2019 Global Investor Statement to Governments on Climate Change, signed by more than 630 investors who collectively manage over $37 trillion in assets, urged action that includes phasing out thermal coal power, ending subsidies for fossil fuels, and updating and strengthening nationally-determined contributions (NDCs) to meet the Paris Agreement. For a related article, see LINK.

e) Educating girls has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective measures to mitigate climate change and there is now an opportunity to accelerate important area of education.  Given below is some information about this opportunity:

i) Rapid growth of free educational information that has been pleased in eLibaries that can copied an unlimited number of times, such as the RACHEL eLibrary by World Possible.

ii) Obsolete computers can be repurposed to become WiFi hotspots that serve this free educational information without need of the internet.  To increase the useful life of these computers, the key moving part inside them, which is the hard-drive can be replaced with a new one.  Companies like Free Geek Toronto.

iii) This free educational information can be accessed by others using smart-phones, laptops and tablet computers via WiFi.  It should be noted that many young people in developing countries already have their own smartphone so they can access this free educational information when this WiFi hotspot is provided in their community.

iv) As a result of the Global Learning xPrize, an open-source, scalable software is now available that empowers children to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic within 15 months.  One of the prize winners that created this software and has it available for others to use is OneBillion.

v) Article: Climate change, fertility and girls’ education by Homi Kharas. Feb. 16, 2016.

vi) Article: Want to save the planet? Invest in girls’ education by Rebecca Winthrop and Homi Kharas, Mar. 3, 2016.

vii) Article: 3 ways to link girls’ education actors to climate action by Christina Kwauk and Amanda Braga, Sep. 27, 2017.

f) Combining Solar-Powered Irrigation with Free Digital Resources to Facilitate Food Production, Education and Entrepreneurship

Free education resources can be combined with many international development initiatives funded by the international donor community .  For example, shown here is a summary of a project that combined solar-powered irrigation with free education resources: Combining Solar-Powered Irrigation with Free Digital Resources to Facilitate Food Production, Education and Entrepreneurship with Funding Through Blended Finance.  To view a slightly expanded version of concept note that was submitted to GAC by Think Renewables Group in 2019 relating to this approach, see: Empowering Women with Smart Irrigation, Information and Enterprise Support.

g) The Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development (CAFIID) is a platform for members to learn, share, collaborate and act as a collective voice to strengthen the value and the volume of impact investment in developing countries.

2) There are many financial incentives and support programs available to help finance projects.  To learn about these incentives, visit the following online platforms and information pages:
b) RECP Financial Catalyst – The Finance Catalyst links renewable energy projects to finance opportunities and vice versa, targeting small- and medium-scale renewable energy (RE) projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
c) After registering on IRENA’s Project Navigator, a user can explore funding options on their Financial Navigator
d) Africa Development Bank: Loans and Grants Search Page
h) UNDP’s SDG Financing Solutions overview
k) Global Affairs Canada’s Call for Proposals page
m) GreenClimateFund: To view developing countries have designated a National Designated Authority or Focal Point, paving the way towards unlocking GCF resources for climate solutions, see: https://www.greenclimate.fund/countries .

3) Additional information relating to the presentation: Increasing Human Security Through Climate Action

Over the past year, many very wealthy individuals and organizations expressed alarm publicly about climate change.  For example,

a) CNBC article: BlackRock’s Larry Fink: Risks from climate change are bigger than the 2008 financial crisis with no Fed to save us, TUE, JAN 14 2020.  Some key points from this article:
– BlackRock chief Larry Fink is warning that the financial risks of climate change are bigger than any crisis he’s experienced in his career on Wall Street.
– Fink, whose BlackRock has nearly $7 trillion in assets under management, used his annual letter to the world’s biggest companies to sound the alarm.
– BlackRock will put “sustainability at the center of our investment approach” — from portfolio construction to launching new investment products that screen fossil fuels.

b) Wash.Post Article: Moody’s Analytics says climate change could cost $69 trillion by 2100 by Steven Mufson. July 3. 2019

c) Article: Goldman Sachs released a 34-page analysis of the impact of climate change. And the results are terrifying, Yusuf Khan, Sep. 25, 2019

The above public statements by these very well known organizations have been followed by some reported changes in investment policy of these same organizations and has also created more awareness about the need for action on climate change in the investment community.