Integrating climate change into biodiversity programming in Karamoja, Uganda

 

By Climatelinks on Sep 15, 2023 02:31 pm
The USAID/Uganda Biodiversity for Resilience (B4R) Activity implemented by RTI International supports the National Forestry Authority to conserve Central Forest Reserve water towers, including in Karamoja. 

Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation (ACRIFA)

 

African Development Bank unveils new initiative to cushion farmers from climate change effects

By African Development Bank on Sep 15, 2023 03:18 pm
The African Development Bank has unveiled the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation (ACRIFA). The initiative is aimed at insulating countries against catastrophic weather-related events. 

Different Perspectives.

 

Why Recreate the Wheel. Ignoring Creative Concepts Only Burdens Taxpayers. Santura Pegram. September 17, 2023

 https://www.globaltrademag.com/ignoring-creative-concepts-only-burdens-taxpayers/

September 17th, 2023 | Written by Santura Pegram

Ignoring Creative Concepts Only Burdens Taxpayers

When you’ve had the chance to travel extensively and live in more than one major metropolitan city-state (I’ve resided in a handful including Cleveland before planting roots in Florida), it’s inspiring to see innovative concepts that have proven to be successful elsewhere and would not require reinventing any wheels. Concepts and ideas that could create rare opportunities for Northeast Ohio if considered. And, as someone who not only has spent the last twenty-plus years working in the international trade/maritime industry, but who’s also been affiliated (behind-the-scenes) with government/politics for several years, it is disappointing to see most of Northeast Ohio’s elected officials and business leaders ignore models that could potentially work well in Cleveland-Cuyahoga County. 

 According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, research proves that “roughly three-quarters of the world’s purchasing power and over 95% of the world’s consumers are located outside of America’s borders. And, a Peterson Institute for International Economics analysis estimated that the elimination of remaining global trade barriers would increase the benefits America already enjoys from trade by another 50%. Trade remains an engine of growth for America.“ (And, other countries too for that matter).

This means there is a growing need for manufactured products and equipment (made in places like Ohio) around the world. Coincidentally, for quite some time I’ve often pondered: 

1. Why the current leadership and Board of Directors at the Port of Cleveland has not effectively promoted or marketed the local waterfront port to the national and global business communities? Unless you work in manufacturing, maritime, or logistics, most people outside of Cuyahoga County do not know the Port of Cleveland exists or understand the significance of its services. Furthermore, anyone who travels frequently – domestically and internationally – will likely not hear the “Port of Cleveland” mentioned as an optional or preferred destination for cargo/freight coming into or out of the Midwest region. However, you can be assured that most such business professionals in other states and countries who have an interest in business relationships throughout the Midwest are quite familiar with Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus (which is one of the world’s only cargo-focused airports), and other popular cargo/freight gateways like the Port of Duluth-Superior, Port of Chicago, and/or other popular competing facilities.  
2.  Why the leadership of the city, county, and port have not explored the idea of bringing smaller passenger vessels into Cleveland to accommodate the growing interest of one-day and two-day (local) cruise-oriented passengers? Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are missing out on tens of millions of dollars annually from this segment of the population alone.   
3. How the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, state, and federal officials should be contracting with environmentally conscious service providers like The Ocean Cleanup. These subject matter experts are the answer to irresponsible and destructive consumers who are notorious for discarding everything from plastic and glass bottles, non-biodegradable bags & utensils, and more into bodies of water that ultimately lead to contamination and other hazards. Especially since research has already proven that “1% of the world’s rivers (and lakes) are responsible for 80% of the pollution to our oceans.” These forward-thinkers could be one solution to ridding Lake Erie of such debris, which would then make it more appealing for tourism/waterfront enthusiasts.
4. The City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the Port of Cleveland collectively need to consider evaluating the pros-cons of what has continued to evolve from the creation of more industrial “warehouse space” near the Port of Savannah in Georgia. A like-minded push to create vast warehouse space (in communities surrounding seaports) could ultimately reduce financial burdens upon taxpayers and instead become another option for tax revenue from entities who engage in business with the Port of Cleveland or occupy warehouses developed in/near Downtown Cleveland. One key recommendation is to avoid oversaturation of warehouse development in overlapping residential neighborhoods. 

Naturally, achieving those goals requires properly implementing an effective marketing plan and costly infrastructure improvements to the Port of Cleveland’s waterfront areas and neighboring communities. Investment that could certainly stimulate the local-regional economies via job creation, boost tourism dollars spent in Cleveland-Cuyahoga County, and increase the volume of products, equipment, and materials moving through local warehouse space and entering-exiting the Port of Cleveland. 

Author Bio

Santura Pegram is the Director of Government Relations for STS Logistics LLC – Seaport Transportation Services LLC.  A socially conscious and seasoned business professional, he has served in multiple leadership capacities within the international trade/maritime industry, yet got his start as a one-time aide & protégé to the late Honorable M. Athalie Range – the “Political Matriarch of the State of Florida.

Space: GSOA: Doubling the population connected via satellite could generate global socio-economic benefits exceeding 250 billion USD

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GSOA NEW PARTNER2CONNECT COMMITMENT TO BOOST CONNECTIVITY   Doubling the population connected via satellite could generate global  socio-economic benefits exceeding 250 billion USD BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 17th June 2023 – Today at the SDG Digital event during the Sustainable Development  Goals (SDG) Action Weekend at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, GSOA announced a new pledge  to the Partner2Connect Digital Initiative led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the  United Nations agency for digital technologies. On the eve of the SDG Summit, GSOA pledged its best efforts to contribute through its members to help double the number of people connected by satellite to at least 500 million globally by 2030. This could result in global socio-economic benefits of more than 250 billion US dollars and would continue fostering unprecedented innovation, from integration with terrestrial services to backhaul and direct satellite broadband on land, in the air, and at sea. All of this will positively contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. This new commitment complements eight pledges made by GSOA last year, continuing to advance bridge the  digital divide, improve emergency connectivity, and support national administrations through capacity building  workshops and seminars. With the 78th United Nations General Assembly set to kick off tomorrow, the satellite industry's commitment to  advancing ITU’s strategic goals of universal and meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation  has never been more apparent. Satellite communications also play an increasingly important role in digital inclusion,  as highlighted during the Broadband Commission’s Annual Fall Meeting, which GSOA attended as special guest. To deliver on this promise, additional bandwidth must be made available to support existing satellite services while meeting unprecedented demand for new services. For satellites to deliver ubiquitous connectivity in an increasingly  digital world, the industry must secure sufficient spectrum and develop inclusive, technology-neutral policy frameworks. Isabelle Mauro, Director General, GSOA said “The satellite industry has recently seen unparalleled levels of innovation and growth and is constantly investing to satisfy growing demands for resilient and secure connectivity   from users throughout the world. GSOA’s P2C pledge will help accelerate inclusive digital transformation across  the globe while contributing to ITU’s goal of universal connectivity.” "Satellite broadband is a potential game-changer for the unconnected and the UN Sustainable Development Goals,"  said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. “We welcome GSOA’s new pledge as a major  step forward in connecting the 2.6 billion people that are still offline,” she added. ------------------------------------------ Read GSOA’s Paper: “Satellite for SDGs – Transforming Lives” Explore all the Partner2Connect pledges  GSOA and GVF join forces to create a trade association of 70 member companies spanning the entire satellite  ecosystem from across the globe, giving a stronger, single unified voice for the satellite industry, leveraging both organisations’ strengths to represent the industry.  For a full list of members visit GSOA website.

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