ODI’s Post

"Once we accept that it is our bad development choices which expose people [in fragile states] to the worst impacts of climate change, the policy options available to us change." New in Devex: Mauricio Vazquez, Head of Policy for our Global Risks and Resilience team, highlights the dangerous simplicity of the climate security narrative. #ClimateSecurity #ClimateRisks #Resilience #Somalia

Last month we released our 50th Think Change podcast! 🎉 The show has been on some journey over the past couple of years, with brilliant guests joining us every fortnight to propose ways to tackle today's most critical global issues. The themes our episodes have explored are hugely diverse – from the climate crisis and the backlash on rights to emerging conflicts and geopolitical shifts. But they share a focus on reimagining what international cooperation should look like in our polarised world – and a hope for building a more equal, peaceful and resilient planet. In this special rewind episode, we revisit just a few of our favourite conversations on the podcast so far – covering MDB reform, the debt crisis in the Global South, the future of the Africa-China relationship, the ICJ ruling on Gaza and more. Featuring: Achim Steiner | Ian Bremmer | Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Ph.D. | Alexis Akwagyiram | Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi | Annalisa Prizzon | Arancha Gonzalez Laya | Linda Calabrese 姜琳达 | Yunnan Chen | Ronak Gopaldas | Alex de Waal Available here, or on your favourite podcast platform: https://lnkd.in/dy6chYbb 🎙 #ThinkChangePodcast #MDBReform #DebtCrisis #AfricaChina #ICJRuling #Gaza

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) often have diminutive terrestrial landmasses but enormous marine spaces encompassed in their exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Should we call them '“Big Ocean States” instead?   For proponents, the 'Blue Economy' represents an entirely new way of thinking that offers a host of novel economic opportunities. For critics, it is little more than a buzzword that potentially bluewashes familiar forms of resource enclosure and extraction.   Episode 9 of "Small Islands Big Picture" explores the concept of the Blue Economy, the opportunities and challenges it raises, and how it might generate wealth through conservation – rather than exploitation of oceanic resources.   Hosts Emily Wilkinson (ODI) and Matthew Bishop (The University of Sheffield) are joined by: 🔵 Karuna Rana | Director, Big Ocean States Initiative (BOSI) 🔵 Liam Saddington | Teaching Associate, University of Cambridge 🔵 Nicole Leotaud | Director, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)   Available on all podcast platforms🎙️   #SmallIslandsBigPicture #SIDS #ClimateResilience #BlueEconomy

In megadiverse Mexico, the voices of indigenous communities risk being sidelined in government discussions about biodiversity policy. Mexico has a long history of sustainably using its extraordinary range of natural resources, with indigenous communities playing a crucial role. But over-exploitation, land-clearing and contamination pose big threats to the biodiversity present. Environmental lawyer Anaid Velasco, who is Mexico Director for GFLAC Grupo de Financiamiento Climático para Latinoamérica y el Caribe, explains the situation on our latest Think Change podcast, which puts a spotlight on the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss globally and asks what can be done about it. Listen here, or on your preferred podcast app: https://lnkd.in/d-W9PRur 🎧 #ThinkChangePodcast #Biodiversity #BioFin #BiodiversityFinance #NatureFinance

Some of the worst fears for hurricane season were realised this month, as the Caribbean islands of Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, a record-breaking category 5 storm.   ODI’s experts from the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) feature in The Guardian this week, alongside three Caribbean Prime Ministers and a number of co-signatories including senior climate negotiators and climate change experts. They explain how some of the smallest islands have been decimated and without international help, may foot the bill through increased debt payments for decades, as storms worsen due to the emissions of wealthy polluting nations.   With projections of increasing loss and damage in the world’s 42 most climate vulnerable small island developing nations due to both extreme weather and slow-onset events, these debt problems are likely to continue and intensify.   Our researchers Emily Wilkinson, Courtney O. Lindsay (PhD, PMP) and Matthew Bishop recommend a path forward, including:   🔵 The provision of minimum annual climate finance allocations for SIDS and other highly vulnerable countries. 🔵 Scaling up use of ‘climate-resilient debt clauses’. 🔵 Maximising the potential of debt swaps. #HurricaneBeryl #ClimateResilience #SIDS