Global Adaptation Institute

Innovation Contributing to Global Energy Shift

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:54:00 -0400

ND-GAIN Advisory Board Member and NGP Chief Executive Officer of NGP Energy Capital Management co-authored, with Eurasia Group President, Ian Bremmer, a May 22, 2013 NY Times op-ed titled “When America Stops Importing Energy.”

Technological innovations have spurred new discoveries of and the capability to extract domestic energy resources in the United States. U.S. oil production is no longer in decline and a boom in natural gas exploration and production has led to a significant price drop in recent years.

The axiom of “resource scarcity” has been one of the dominant forces shaping global geopolitics and economics since the end of World War II. Now, thanks to the U.S. oil and gas industry’s technological and entrepreneurial savvy, we have ushered in an era in which “resource abundance” will be the norm. The technology will be used to turn the U.S. into an energy exporter and also unlock hidden reserves in other countries. The resulting surge in supply means that the global energy sector will begin to behave like a more “normal” market, one in which demand and supply are in better balance and less power is concentrated in the hands of select producers.

For more of the article, click here.

Building Business Resilience in Mexico

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:52:00 -0400

Entrepreneurs and Tecnológico de Monterrey business and public policy students discuss how Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprises can use adaptation data.

Are small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) aware of the climatic risks they face? How are global forces such as urbanization and demographic shifts affecting business operations and supply chains? How can SMEs understand and act upon global risks data?

These were central questions explored during the Forum for Entrepreneurial Resilience: Challenges and Opportunities for SMEs, held April 30 in Monterrey, Mexico. With funding from The John Templeton Foundation, ND-GAIN and the Tecnológico de Monterrey hosted this forum to highlight the ongoing and future work they are conducting on this issue, which has included a national survey of SMEs and online guidelines on business risk.

Featured panelists (pictured above) included Luis Eduardo Pérez-Ortiz Cancino, Director of Research and Risk Management at the National Center for Prevention of Disasters; Dr. Vidal Garza, Director of the FEMSA Foundation; and Dr. Teresita Romero Torres, Director of Public Policy Research and Analysis at Mexico’s National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change. Dr. Norma Hernández, Director of Finance and Economics at the EGADE Business School moderated.

Dr. María de Lourdes Dieck Assad, Director General, Graduate Schools of Business and Government, ITESM - Tenológico de Monterrey and Dr. Juan José Daboub, Founding CEO, ND-GAIN, opened the day with remarks on the progress both organizations have made in bringing greater awareness to the topic of adaptation.

Providing context of the work leading up to the forum, Dr. Elvira Naranjo, lead researcher on the SME Resilience Project, showed participants results of the first national survey of SME knowledge of and engagement with adaptation issues. The survey measured SMEs’ perception of vulnerabilities — water, energy, natural disasters and other risks — as well as their “readiness” — perceptions of levels of regional investment freedom, corruption and regulatory fairness — to take action.

Dr. Bruno Sanchez Andrade Nuño (pictured above), Director of Science and Technology at ND-GAIN, overviews the Beta version of the SME Adaptation Guidelines. These guidelines are designed to help SMEs navigate their adaptation risks and opportunities. The project team is refining the guidelines based on feedback from the forum and further review with experts in the field.

Jorge Escalera, Director of Risk Mexico, also presented his ongoing work in business continuity, helping the private sector build resilience in the wake of both natural and economic disasters and challenges.

Major media outlets in Mexico are picking up on this important issue, including national newspaper Milenio’s coverage (in Spanish) of the forum.

Come back to ND-GAIN for further updates on the project and opportunities to provide your feedback.

ND-GAIN Featured in Physics Today

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:51:38 -0400

Physics Today featured ND-GAIN in a special article on international organizations addressing adaptation. The article asks what world actors are doing to “bridge the gap between science, policy, and x-factors in adapting to climate change.”

The article notes that “with limited resources, quantifying the most relevant places to provide aid becomes vital” and highlights the GAIN Index — now the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (ND-GAIN) — as a tool to address this problem.

The work of the International Red Cross and World Bank in the adaptation field are highlighted in the article as well.

Physics Today is the membership magazine of the American Institute of Physics. For more on the article, see Adapting to climate change: International organizations.

GAIN Index makes new home at Notre Dame

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:07:00 -0400

Notre Dame will be the new home of The GAIN Index, now becoming ND-GAIN. The formal announcement was made April 18 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) and Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI) leadership participated in the event.

Dr. Juan José Daboub, GAIN Founding CEO, stated that “in a fast changing world, where urbanization, economic growth, population shifts and the effects of climate change are creating additional challenges for people, Notre Dame is positioning itself in the global state as a major playing in saving lives and improving livelihoods.”

“I will be responsible for bringing student and faculty research to bear on the ND-GAIN Index—to help build and improve it—and for bringing the Index to bear on activities at Notre Dame,” said Notre Dame Professor Jessica Hellmann. “I hope to use ND-GAIN to increase the profile and social relevance of our University’s world-class research on climate change.” Hellmann is a leading climate expert and director of the Climate Adaption Program at Notre Dame.

Dr. Daboub Participates in "Un Millón de Jóvenes Por México" Book Launch

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:32:00 -0400

Founding GAIN CEO, Dr. Juan José Daboub participated in the launch of the book, “Un Millón de Jóvenes Por México” (Million Youth for Mexico), at Georgetown University on April 2. Invited by the Georgetown Latin American Student Association, Dr. Daboub discussed the progress made and reforms needed in Mexico based on his years in government in El Salvador, experience in the private sector across Latin America and as Managing Director of the World Bank.

Dr. Daboub spoke alongside the book’s author, Armando Regil. The book, and organization by the same name, promotes ideas of freedom and responsibility. It proposes major strategic changes that the country of Mexico should undertake such as democratic security, enhanced education and sustainable economic development to create a more prosperous society.

Adaptation a New Academic Discipline?

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:27:51 -0400

Saleemul Huq, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development, recently argued that adaptation to climate change will soon be a recognized as an academic discipline. Noting that over the last decade there has been much learning and research on the topic, Huq stated that while “there may not be adaptation science yet … there is certainly one in the making and in five to 10 years from now there will be a body of knowledge specific to climate adaptation.”

Huq has lead creation of a dual masters degree at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh that focuses on community-based adaptation. Further, he pointed out the increase in university programs on adaptation, which include a new masters program at the Universities of East Anglia and Sussex as well as the establishment of several learning centers in Africa.

Dr. Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño Recognized as Young Global Leader

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:16:11 -0400

Geneva, Switzerland, 12 March 2013 – the World Economic Forum has recognized Dr. Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño as a Young Global Leader (YGL) Class of 2013. The 199 YGLs represent 70 countries and work in the fields of arts and culture, academia, business, media, civil society and social entrepreneurship. Individuals are selected for their professional achievements and commitment to society. Fellow YGLs include:

Miranda A. Ballentine (USA), who is leading Wal-Mart’s efforts to be supplied 100% by renewable energy, to create zero waste and to sell products that sustain the world’s resources and environment

Chelsea Clinton (USA), Board Member, Clinton Foundation and special correspondent for NBC News

Tawakkol Karman (Yemen), a journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Winston Ma Wenyan (China), Managing Director and Deputy Chief Representative of the China Investment Corporation

Akhilesh Singh Yadav (India), the youngest person to hold the office of Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh

Sanchez, originally from Spain, is the Global Adaptation Institute’s Director of Science & Technology. Previously, he was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. National Academies and a space and rocket scientist at the Department of Defense Naval Research Laboratory while also serving as faculty at George Mason University.

In 2008 he obtained his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Goettingen, Germany. His astrophysics career focused on understanding the Sun and the sun-earth relationship, including space weather.

Bruno has a strong passion for science and technology and its practical applications for a better world. In 2011 he was the Project Manager for an application that received an award from the World Bank´s competition “Apps for Development” for its contribution to raise awareness to the Millennium Development Goals.

“The Forum of Young Global Leaders provides a unique effort to engage the younger generation into the management of global affairs, working together and being integrated into the larger Forum community. The Young Global Leaders have an exceptional opportunity to improve the state of the world,” Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.

Sanchez’s participation complements GAIN CEO Dr. Juan José Daboub’s leadership of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Climate Change. Through this forum, GAIN is working with business, NGO and governmental leaders around the world on concrete measures, including recommending metrics and investment strategies, for improving resilience to climate change around the world.

The YGLs convene at an annual summit, which will be held this year in Yangon, Myanmar, on 2-5 June.

UK Government Asks Businesses, Communities to Prepare for Change

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:28:00 -0500

The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency wants businesses to proactively engage in building resilience as recently-released data shows 2012 was an extreme year for weather in Britain. Last year, flooding occurred one in every five days and drought conditions were experience one in every four across Britain according to new analysis.

The Environment Agency chairman, Lord Chris Smith, noted that farmers and businesses were often unable to withdraw water for their operations due to water withdrawal bans and stated that “taking action today to prepare and adapt homes, businesses, agricultural practices and infrastructure is vital.”

The government is also predicting that Britain could experience severe droughts every 10 years this century.

While the UK is one of the most resilient countries in the world according to the GAIN Index, its overall resilience is declining, slightly, as economic problems persist and agricultural security weakens.

USDA Highlights Need for Resilience Across the United States

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:49:28 -0500

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released reports that warn of shifting agricultural patterns, weaker ecosystem services and endangered livelihoods throughout the United States. The agency also notes that areas with infrastructure and energy and production systems based on past climatic and ecological conditions will be at risk.

Notably, the USDA recommends implementation of climate change adaptation strategies:

The ability of communities with resource-based economies to adapt to climate change is linked to their direct exposure to these changes, as well as to the social and institutional structures present in each environment. Human communities that have diverse economies and are resilient to change today will also be prepared for future climatic stresses.

To read the reports, visit:

Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation

Effects of Climatic Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the U.S. Forest Sector

Dr. María de Lourdes Dieck-Assad, President, Graduate Schools of Business and Government, ITESM – Tecnológico de Monterrey

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:13:00 -0500

Before her current position, Dr. Dieck-Assad was appointed by President Vicente Fox as ambassador of Mexico to Belgium and Luxembourg, served as chief of the Mexican Mission to the European Union and the permanent representative before the European Council (2004-07). In the public sector, she has been undersecretary of economic affairs and international cooperation in the State Department (2003-04) and chief of advisors to the secretary of the State Department (2003) and to the secretary of Economy (2002-03). In the academic sector, she was director of the doctoral program in management at ITESM (EGADE) (1995-2002), while she was also associated with ITESM’s Center for Strategic Studies. She has been professor of economics at ITESM, professor and chair of the economics department at Trinity University in Washington, D.C., and economics professor at Anahuac University in Mexico City.

Dr. María de Lourdes Dieck-Assad, President, Graduate Schools of Business and Government, ITESM – Tecnológico de Monterrey, has worked to create cross-sector relationships within the business, government and academic sectors for the past 15+ years.

During the Annual Meeting & Scientific Convening of the Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN), Dr. Dieck-Assad, a member of the GAIN Council of Scientists, highlighted the need to more frequently showcase positive adaptation projects on the ground.

“One positive change we have seen is how many projects are being implemented by some private companies around the world,” Dr. Dieck Assad said. “Clearly, adaptation is more and more on the minds of companies and certain communities, but not enough. We have to do more. When you see projects in adaptation, you will understand the impact it makes.”

Education and coverage of adaptation projects is necessary to spread the word of the urgent need to adapt, Dr. Dieck-Assad said. Adaptation and mitigation go hand-in-hand and, implemented correctly, will help develop a more sustainable world.

“This is critical and one thing is clear – we need to promote this thinking on adaptation before things happen and we have to deal with the results of natural disasters,” Dr. Dieck-Assad said. “It is becoming even more important, so we have to make this thinking more widespread – not only the idea, knowledge and concept, but also the solutions.”

Last year, the Tecnológico de Monterrey began a project, funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, to research how small and medium-sized Mexican enterprises can build resilience.

GAIN + Tecnológico de Monterrey partnership

During discussions on climate change, the scientific world often discusses indicators, metrics and data. However, do the people affected understand how their lives will be impacted? Are social, climatic and ecological conditions important to the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable?

Varying population groups could have been sampled for this endeavor, but our focus for the Templeton SME project is on small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Mexico. Why?

Developing countries will be hit hardest by climate change, in combination with population shifts, urbanization and other global forces. Small businesses employ the majority of laborers in many developing countries. Thus, this segment of the population is crucial in 1) innovating and investing in solutions to global challenges such as climate change, and 2) building resilience within their operations and supply chains to maintain economic activity in their communities.

This project, “Entrepreneur Research — Determining local metrics that matter to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs,” will test the degree to which the GAIN Index and other indices are measuring what matters to SMEs in terms of their climate “vulnerabilities” and “readiness” to invest in resilience.

GAIN and the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico are planning a workshop  on this project this year.

More on the career of Dr. María de Lourdes Dieck-Assad

Ambassador Dieck-Assad obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics (1975) from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), her master’s degree in economic development (1976) at Vanderbilt University and her doctorate in economics (1983) from the University of Texas at Austin.

She has received multiple honors throughout her career, including the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, which is the highest honor awarded by the Government and the King of Belgium for her achievements as Ambassador to Belgium; named best instructor in Executive Programs during 2001 at EGADE, ITESM, Monterrey campus; the awarding of tenure at Trinity University; appointments as research fellow and guest scholar at the Brookings Institution to work on her Ph. D. dissertation and other honors/awards.

GAIN Delivers Adaptation Message at Davos

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:07:00 -0500

The task of creating more resilient societies will be front and center during the 2013 World Economic Forum (Forum) Annual Meeting taking place in Davos, Switzerland this week. From January 22 to 26, CEOs of the world’s largest corporations, preeminent scientists and leaders of governments and international NGOs will meet to address the world’s most pressing issues.

This years’ agenda covers three pillars: Leading through Adversity, Strengthening Societal Resilience and Restoring Economic Dynamism. Dr. Juan José Daboub, Founding CEO of the Global Adaptation Institute, is attending events throughout the week and will offer remarks at a private dinner, “Climate Change: The Way Forward?,” and host a roundtable during the World Food Programme’s “Envisaging Sustainable Development Goals.”

Daboub will also highlight the work of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Climate Change 2012, for which he is the Chair. The Council convened in November 2012 in Dubai to lay out a road map and mission for the next two years; this road map includes measuring societal resilience to climate change and disasters, highlighting the urgent need to adapt and exploring effective climate financing.

The annual meeting comes after the release of the Forum’s eighth Global Risks report. GAIN was a contributor and reviewer to the report’s “Testing Economic and Environmental Resilience” chapter. Released in early 2013, the report finds that societies are less prepared to address environmental challenges due to ongoing economic challenges. The Forum devotes significant attention to the need to build resilience in the wake of extreme weather-related events in 2012.

To follow this week’s proceedings, view live streams and recordings of meetings and interviews here.

Conflict Mixed With Extreme Weather Harm Vulnerable in Middle East

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:59:00 -0500

A CNN report highlights the compounding negative effects of conflict, governance challenges and extreme weather as winter storms challenge the resilience of communities throughout the Middle East. While significant flooding tests Palestinian infrastructure, dropping temperatures hamper relief efforts for Syrian refugees throughout the region.

The GAIN Index index.gain.org reflects diverse levels of resilience throughout the region. Jordan ranks as the 56th most resilient of the 176 countries ranked according to their vulnerability to climate impacts as well as their readiness to invest in adaptation. Neighboring Syria, however, ranks 117.

Reducing corruption and conflict and improving political stability are actions many countries in the Middle East can take to improve their GAIN Index ranking and, more importantly, their ability to protect the most vulnerable in the face of adversity.

Spotlight: FoodTank Challenges Global Food System to Improve

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:00:22 -0500

Danielle Nierenberg is an expert on agriculture and food and co-founder of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank www.foodtank.org. She is an expert on sustainable agriculture and food issues. She recently spent two years traveling to more than 35 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia looking at environmentally sustainable ways of alleviating hunger and poverty. Her knowledge of global agriculture issues has been cited widely in more than 3,000 major publications including The New York Times, USA Today, the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, BBC, the Guardian(UK), the Mail and Guardian (South Africa), the East African (Kenya), TIME magazine, Reuters, Agence France Presse, Voice of America, the Times of India, and other major publications. Danielle worked for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and also currently serves as the food security adviser for Citizen Effect (an NGO focused on sustainable development projects worldwide).

There is no doubt that the food system is broken. More than one billion people are obese, nearly one billion people go to bed hungry every night, and at least two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Roughly a half-century after the Green Revolution—the first systematic, large-scale attempt to reduce poverty and hunger throughout the world—a large share of the human family is still chronically without food, reliable income, and access to education. And over the last 30 years, the western food system has been built to promote over-consumption of a few consolidated commodities and has failed to be the harbinger of health as it spreads around the world. The epidemic of obesity in industrialized and developing countries alike is increasing the risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other maladies. Ironically, the “solution” to hunger—increasing production of starchy staple crops—has also created the problem of obesity.

In addition, we waste vast amounts of food—more than one third of all food worldwide is wasted. In the developing world, roughly 40 percent of all food goes to waste as a result of pests, disease, and improper storage. The impacts of climate change and years of disregard for soil and water health are becoming increasingly evident leading to drought and disease from Iowa to Niger. Investment in agriculture continues to emphasize quantity over quality and we need adaptation and solutions. We need to find a different way to feed the world.

Food Tank: The Food Think Tank, the new organization I co-founded, will help propel that change by fostering the growing community of voices on food, health, and environmental sustainability issues. Food Tank is bringing attention to these important issues by bridging the domestic and the global. We believe there is an opportunity to develop a better vision for the global food system and is prepared to take on challenges by helping to connect producers and consumers, policy-makers and activists, and farmers and eaters. We’re trying to bridge the major disconnect between organizations that are fighting hunger and organizations that are fighting obesity. The two groups have more in common than they think. The truth is we’re all fighting to get people access to nutritious food, no matter where we are in the world, but we need to be asking the right questions and developing the right metrics for today’s food system realities, not yesterday’s.

In a recent thirty-five country research tour across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, the United States, and Europe, I found hope and real progress towards better solutions for food system sustainability in industrialized and developing countries alike. By visiting hundreds of projects, talking with farmers, farmers’ groups, NGOs, policy-makers, educators, funders, journalists, and other stakeholders, I was able to see the change afoot. Agriculture can be the solution to some the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. Through our on-the ground-research, we have seen the impact that sustainable and diverse farming systems can have on health and nutrition, food security, and the livelihood of farmers. We can create state-of-the-art sustainable farming systems by using a combination of traditional practices that have worked for hundreds of years all over the world and modern eco-friendly technologies.

Fixing the system requires changing the conversation and finding ways that make food production—and consumption—more economically, environmentally, and socially just and sustainable. The solutions, both big and small, are out there—in market garden projects in rural Niger, on rooftop gardens in Vietnam, at research institutes in Taiwan, in European healthy school food systems, in the explosion of farmers markets across the U.S., in global food retailing initiatives that prevent food waste, and in individual communities all over the world. Unfortunately, these projects are not getting the attention and the investment they need. The science is out there, too, yet it is not getting the funding to change the metrics we use to measure agricultural success. This needs to change.

Nigeria Floods Pave Way for Adaptation Discussions

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:04:00 -0500

Hundreds of schools, towns and small cities in Nigeria have been submerged in water and millions of its citizens displaced. The flooding has been considered by many disastrous and “prevented to a great extent if government had listened to warnings and advice by experts to prepare for climate change which has become a reality.”

The AllAfrica article “Nigeria: Flood - Experts Blame FG for Laxity” describes the flooding and reasons for severity. The article points out that the consensus between scientists and environmental experts is that the federal government could have done more to prevent the floods.

These massive floods also affected nations bordering Nigeria, which is No. 154 in the GAIN Country Rankings. Other countries in the region that have experienced floods include Benin (129), Niger (157), Chad (171) and Cameroon (138), which are ranked in the bottom tier of the world in the GAIN Index. This Index helps determine a country’s vulnerability to climate change and other global challenges in combination with its readiness to improve resilience. Surrounding countries such as Cameroon have taken steps toward adaptation to help prepare for climate change and natural disasters unlike Nigeria, according to the article.

In fact, of the five countries, Cameroon is the only country not in the bottom 50 countries in world in terms of vulnerability.

Muiz Banire, the past Commissioner for Environment in Lagos State noted, “The Federal Government (of Nigeria) over the years turned deaf ears to all the entreaties on her to build dams to store excess storm water and dredge rivers, especially Niger and Benue rivers to create cavity for capacity to hold water.

“Until government makes the welfare of the people the crux of governance and centre of development, we will continue to expose the people to avoidable danger and unnecessary hardships.”

Several are calling for Nigeria to take adaption seriously, and heighten awareness and the call for investments to help save lives and improve livelihoods. With the help of private and public sector investors, the people of Nigeria can develop adaptation best practices.

Read the full article HERE. Photo courtesy Oxfam International, Creative Commons.

Spotlight: Business Innovation at the Nexus of Resource Needs

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 15:50:00 -0500

Raj Rajan, RD&E vice president of Global Sustainability at Ecolab, helps drive top-line growth for Ecolab and its customers by embedding sustainability considerations into innovative systems. He has 28 years of experience in environmental process engineering and water cycle management for the food, beverage, chemical, petroleum, utility, transportation, energetics and paper industries.

To-date, the private sector has approached climate change, population growth and resource scarcity as issues of risk management and mitigation. But are there also growth opportunities for businesses that adapt to tackle those mounting global challenges?

Ecolab thinks so. Following its merger with Nalco in December 2011, Ecolab has aligned its newly integrated organization around providing and protecting clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments.

“The challenge of limited resources calls for unlimited resourcefulness,” said Raj Rajan, RD&E vice president of Global Sustainability at Ecolab. “The macro trends facing society – population growth, economic shifts, aging population, rising resource demands, and growing food safety and infection concerns – create enormous challenges, but also great opportunities for innovation.

For Ecolab, the most significant opportunities lie at the nexus of water, food and energy.

“Water is most essential, not just for human survival, but for the survival of human commerce,” Rajan said. “Food and energy are not far behind, and both require considerable water inputs. Ecolab’s focus is on the interdependency of those factors which are vital for life.”

Customer-Centric Solutions

Ecolab provides products and services to the food, energy, healthcare, industrial and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. Much of Ecolab’s sustainability initiatives are driven by the company’s 22,500 field experts that service more than 1 million customer locations across the globe.

“We always think of sustainability in the context of performance,” Rajan said. “While our own progress is important, Ecolab’s greatest impact comes in helping our customers solve sustainability challenges. We take an ‘out of the box’ approach to tackling those challenges in our R&D process, with the goal of delivering solutions that exceed leading standards for both environmental outcomes and performance.”

Take DryExx®, a dry conveyor lubricant used for transporting bottles, cans and other containers down conveyor lines. In the past, food and bottling plants relied on water-based lubricants to accomplish the same goal.

DryExx reduces water usage in the processing phase by up to 1.8 million liters of water per conveyor line, and also saves money and energy needed to treat wastewater.

DryExx customers include major multinational corporations like PepsiCo: a company that has publicly asserted a goal to improve operational water use efficiency by 20 percent per unit of production by 2015.

By using DryExx in combination with several other Ecolab technologies, PepsiCo was able to reduce water consumption by more than 662 million liters of water across its plants last year.

“Our goal is to deliver transformational innovation,” Rajan said. “Our solutions help customers mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, reduce adverse impacts of resource utilization, and promote positive impacts by protecting valuable assets and increasing their productivity.”

Ecolab and the GAIN Index

Rajan commented on the applicability of the GAIN Index at the Annual Meeting & Scientific Convening of the Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) in May. The GAIN Index summarizes a country’s vulnerability to climate change and other challenges, along with its ability to successfully absorb and apply private sector investment resources toward those challenges.

“The GAIN Index is an effective tool for understanding how prepared various geographies are to manage resource challenges and for identifying where there is momentum to drive new customer innovations forward,” he said.

Rajan also expressed optimism about GAIN’s plans to pilot a more localized Index. GAIN, along with the Tecnológico de Monterrey, recently received a grant through the John Templeton Foundation to implement a localized GAIN Index in Mexico.

“With a broader local-level version of the Index, and the overlay of data that already exists with other organizations, additional indices can be created to provide direction for adaptation and to guide new investments,” Rajan said. “It’s an exciting proposition.”

Rajan said that existing aggregated data in the private sector and at NGOs such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship or the World Resources Institute can be used to create the new indices.

“A granular understanding of the ability of various geographies to be resilient in meeting human needs should be a key consideration for companies not only as they consider where to locate new facilities, but as they seek new opportunities to grow their business through innovation.”

IKEA Raises the Bar in Energy, Resource Best Practices

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:41:06 -0500

Mega-retailer IKEA is well on its way to achieving two bold commitments by its self-imposed deadline of 2020.

The Netherlands-based company designed a sustainability strategy that diversifies its energy usage while reducing its consumption of an important natural resource – wood. IKEA has optimistically committed to using less wood than it replaces with new trees.

Investments in energy will total US$1.95 billion by 2015. And by 2020, IKEA plans to create as much renewable energy as it consumes. By the numbers, IKEA has 127,000 employees worldwide; 12,000 products; and 332 stores in 38 countries. As the third largest consumer of wood in the world following The Home Depot and Lowe’s, these are clearly bold commitments.

“The world is changing,” said Dr. Ian Noble, GAIN Chief Scientist. “More than ever, there is an urgent need to adapt to the challenges of climate change, urbanization and resource scarcity.”

The private sector will be an important player in helping the world’s most vulnerable adapt to these changes. Currently, $1 billion is allocated of the $70-$100 billion annual requirement to invest in developing countries alone.

IKEA began investment strategy in 2009 and are little under halfway there. In doing so, they have installed solar panels on its buildings and purchased wind farms in six European nations, which accounts for 27 percent of all the electricity IKEA consumes. The plan is aimed to improve IKEA’s energy efficiency by 20 percent.

Steve Howard, IKEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer had this say regarding the plan; “People and Planet positive is IKEA Group’s sincere commitment to try our best to make a meaningful contribution towards a more sustainable future, for our forests and farmlands, our climate and a more sustainable life at home for many people. Sustainability cannot be a luxury good, it must be affordable for all.”

Read the recent article about IKEA’s sustainability plan IKEA Will Grow More Wood Than It Uses by 2020, Touts Clean Energy, Efficiency Commitments HERE.

MEDA Impacts Food Security Around the World

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:27:00 -0500

MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates), a GAIN Prize 2012 recipient, continues to make an impact around the world.

Techno-Links Grant Recipients in Nicaragua

MEDA awarded 14 grant recipients in Peru and Nicaragua (shown above) in October 2012.

The recipients, the majority of which are private sector companies, are carrying out initiatives to promote the commercial distribution of agriculture technologies in a variety of sectors including coffee, kiwicha, olives, dried fruit and quinoa.

The GAIN Prize was awarded to CAC Perene, a Peruvian nonprofit that processes coffee husks into briquettes that will be used as alternative renewable energy in households. These briquettes will have greater refractive power to heat and a longer life compared to traditional sources of heat. As a result, it will improve the health of farmers with the reduced emissions of toxic gases resulting from the use of firewood.

See related news article below:

October 15, 2012, Inforegión, Agencia De Prensa Ambiental: MEDA presentará a ganadores de proyectos agrícolas ambientales

MEDA’s Techno-Links Project

The goal of TECHNO-LINKS is to increase the productivity and income generating opportunities of 5,000 small scale farmers in Peru and Nicaragua as a result of the improved capacity of agriculture technology suppliers to reach small farmers.

With funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the InterAmerican Development Bank’s (IADB) Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), TECHNO-LINKS uses a Competitive Agriculture Matching Grant mechanism to support eligible agriculture technology vendors who present solid business proposals to establish commercial distribution of technologies suited to small farmers. Grants are made on a 1:1 matching basis – one dollar grant for every dollar invested by grant recipients in their business. Over the course of the project, 20 grant recipients will be awarded grants of up to $60,000.

For more information about the 20 matching grant recipients, click HERE.

Spotlight: Adaptation Is A Top Geopolitical Challenge

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:36:00 -0500

The Global Adaptation Institute’s Dr. Juan José Daboub, Founding CEO, was featured in the Environmental Leader’s Industry Voices on December 5. The online publication is the leading daily trade publication keeping corporate executives fully informed about energy, environmental and sustainability news.

The global climate is changing, and leaders need information to guide their decisions for society and businesses.

Natural events in 2012 impacted hundreds of millions of lives and elevated discussion, throughout the international community, on the pressing need to adapt to these challenges.

During the World Economic Forum’s (Forum) Global Agenda Summit in Dubai, U.A.E., last week, it was announced that climate change will be a headlining topic at its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2013.

This announcement follows calls for action by world leaders such as President of Mexico Felipe Calderón, former President of Spain José María Aznar and former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd who are heightening awareness about people’s vulnerability and exposure to major trends including climate change. During the Dubai Summit, Rudd listed adaptation as one of five top geopolitical challenges. These global leaders also recognize the need to measure what matters, as well as, have available tools to strengthen their case and make better decisions on building resilience.

Clearly, the level of adaptation awareness has been raised in the global agenda and what decision makers need now is access to metrics that help guide investments.

The Council on Climate Change, for which I serve as Global Chair, is focusing on adaptation – building resilience within communities to tackle climate change, urbanization, resource scarcity and other global challenges. Our first task is to assess what metrics can best help policy-makers and businesses invest to prepare for these changes. There are a number of adaptation indices that assess data and provide information about global resilience. A report from AEA (now Ricardo-AEA) for the Adaptation Sub-Committee (ASC) of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change explores three of the main indices in this field. In Review of international experience in adaptation indicators, the authors summarise:

1) GAIN Index: Created by the Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN), this open data browser provides national level scores (and access to the underlying data) of current vulnerability to climate change and other global challenges, as well as a country’s readiness to absorb investment for 192 countries. The GAIN Index guides investment in adaptation by helping businesses and the public sector better prioritize investments for a more efficient response to global challenges. (GAIN.org/index)

2) Climate Vulnerability Monitor (CVM): It advances understanding of the impacts of climate change on human society and the actions needed to address these effects. Produced by DARA, it combines measures in four areas of impact (human health, weather disasters, habitat loss and economic stress) within 184 countries, and on two timescales – 2010 and 2030. (http://daraint.org/climate-vulnerability-monitor/climate-vulnerability-monitor-2012/)

3) Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI): Maplecroft hosts this index that quantifies the vulnerability of 233 countries to three major effects of climate change (weather-related disasters, sea-level rise and reduced agricultural productivity). It develops risk indicators for these impacts and embeds these into a methodology for cost-effective allocation of adaptation assistance. (http://maplecroft.com/about/news/ccvi.html)

The ASC has developed a framework for monitoring and evaluating the UK’s progress in adaptation, and the report compared their approach with these adaptation indices. As one can see, there is no single standard way to explore vulnerability and adaptation at the national level.

At the Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN), we designed the GAIN Index while keeping the needs of the private sector at the forefront of our analysis. It is important for the private sector to use not only the GAIN Index to examine water, food & agriculture, coastal protection and energy data to assess existing company operations, but also use it as a tool to plan for future international investments. Visit the GAIN Index Country Rankings.

Gary Lawrence, AECOM Chief Sustainability Officer, is among the many sector-leading representatives participating in the Forum’s Climate Council. AECOM is a leading engineering company that understands first hand the need to develop metrics, highlight best practices and guide policy to help enable an environment that recognizes the urgent need to adapt to these global challenges.

“We care about adaptation at a variety of levels – we have 45,000 people working in 103 countries,” Lawrence said. “They and their families are at some level of risk. Part of this has to do if whether we are a good employer, and trying to anticipate locational choices. It is also a business issue because our clients within the private sector, government and NGOs, know they need to maximize their benefits over the long term. How do we – through design, development and locational decisions – ensure that money implemented in projects is stretched as long as possible?”

To save lives and improve livelihoods around the world, we must recognize that our built environment isn’t yet resilient enough to withstand volatile climate-related events and stress added by an ever-urbanizing world with significant population shifts and the need to increase access to food by many.

Company executives and government leaders need the information provided within indices to determine and prioritize funding to help protect current and future populations in our changing world. The time is now to begin adapting because, as we have seen in Thailand, Philippines, China, and more recently in New York City, our communities will suffer if we wait to invest in improving infrastructure, energy systems, food, water and coastal protection.

Dr. Juan José Daboub is founding CEO of the Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN). He is also global chair of the World Economic Forum Council on Climate Change.

GAIN column reposted from Environmental Leader.

Carousel photo courtesy of World Economic Forum, Creative Commons. The photo shows some of the working groups of the Forum Global Agenda Councils.

Adaptation a Central Topic During Atlantic Community Initiative Meeting

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:47:00 -0500

Food security, water scarcity, energy access and increasing impacts of natural disasters are realities we all must pragmatically address now. The importance of adapting to these global forces is a message that participants in the Atlantic Community Initiative International Forum agree must take a more central role in the Initiative’s “Agenda for the future,” a document that will help guide Atlantic states’ future cooperation.

Helping to inform this new emphasis on adaptation, GAIN Founding CEO, Dr. Juan José Daboub (left), presented, today, GAIN’s mission and the GAIN Index (index.gain.org).

Co-organized by the Moroccan High commission for Planning and the Bureau of European Policy, the Initiative is in its second year. Professors, CEOs, ambassadors, and others are meeting Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 in Skhirat, Morocco to increase political support for projects that address challenges and opportunities on transport, energy, security, education, economic growth and other issues. The Initiative includes diverse economies from around the Atlantic, such as Gabon, South Africa, Argentina, Gabon, North American and European countries, as well as most of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Since almost 2/3s of the world’s GDP comes from countries deeply connected to trans-Atlantic trade, how these countries tackle building more resilient societies will impact approaches in the rest of the world.

Continuing into tomorrow, Her Excellency and GAIN Advisory Board member, Mrs. Ana Palacio, former Foreign Affairs Minister for Spain, Mr. Jeroen Van Der Veer, former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, and José Manuel Barroso, current President of the European Commission are speaking alongside many other high-level leaders.

Carousel photo courtesy AG Gilmore (Creative Commons).

GAIN Index Highlighted on Forbes.com

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:37:00 -0500

Forbes contributor, Mark P. Mills, highlighted the GAIN Index in his Nov. 28 Energy Intelligence column, New York, Black Swans, Blackouts and Anti-Fragile Grids. Mills, founder and President of the energy consultancy Digital Power Group and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, reflects on Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath and the necessity of ensuring resilient urban energy infrastructure:

Electric power for urban areas is the fundamental infrastructure on top of which the rest operate. It’s more than lights and heat; it’s pumping gasoline, water, and sewage, keeping food cool and moving elevators. And it’s citizen and emergency communications, and community smartphone apps that help people help each other. The electric dependency of every aspect of modern society is hypertrophied in cities.

Mills notes that the GAIN Index is a key force in promoting innovation and engineering that considers adaptation needs:

GAIN’s founder and CEO, Juan José Daboub, is an engineer by training and consummate financial diplomat. Despite or perhaps because of his previous duty at the World Bank, he has a keen appreciation for the role of the private sector and the value of metrics. GAIN created an open-source system to quantify two key metrics: vulnerability and readiness. Their first just-released global index provides rankings at the country level. As Daboub is quick to point out, this is a first step, with more work to be done. What’s next? Measurement indices for cities, localities? Daboub has shown a way forward, and a framework.

You can read more of Mill’s articles and analysis on energy, technology and economics, here, on Forbes.com.