The Global Adaptation Institute

GAIN Prizes honor adaptation leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 

Contact:  

Jamie Carson | 202-559-4549 |jcarson@gain.org                            

Davis Cherry | 202-559-4539 |dcherry@gain.org           

Wednesday, May 9, 2012                 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Innovative examples of adaptation efforts to save lives and improve livelihoods are being recognized tonight at the Annual Reception of GAIN’s 2012 Annual Meeting & Scientific Convening in Washington, D.C.

The Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) will award the first GAIN Prizes for work on adaptation at an event attended by world leaders in the public and private sector. The four GAIN Prizes, which are each a monetary and recognition award for work in adaptation to climate change, urbanization, population growth and other global challenges, are unique.  

The GAIN Prizes are the first given to recognize those organizations and entrepreneurs that are working on innovative projects and successfully tested technologies that will help the most vulnerable adapt to the changing global climate. These Prizes honor what has been done on the ground working shoulder-to-shoulder with vulnerable communities on innovative adaptation solutions. Four Prizes will be distributed at a ceremony during the Annual Reception.

The inaugural GAIN Prizes highlight countries that are highly vulnerable and that are making progress, according to the GAIN Readiness Matrix.

Winners were judged on criteria including effectiveness, scalability, impact, marketability and relevance to the GAIN Index. Given that most resources to help countries and communities adapt will come from investments from the private sector, a particular emphasis was put on projects that have engaged the private sector as a partner in their work.

When the GAIN Prizes are announced at the Annual Reception, high-level participants including the former President of Spain Jose Maria Aznar; representatives from the private sector including GAIN Board of Directors Chairman and NGP Energy Capital Management CEO Ken Hersh, and others from AECOM, Baker & McKenzie, PepsiCo, Ernst & Young, Swiss Re, The World Bank and The Kresge Foundation; and other prominent organizations as well as ministers of environment and commerce will be in attendance. These leaders will have just completed open dialogue sessions about adaptation and how the private sector can create actionable solutions during day one of GAIN’s Annual Meeting & Scientific Convening.

We are honored to announce publicly for the first time the 2012 GAIN Prizes:

Engineers Without Borders, Austin Chapter: For their work on the Climate Adaptation in Mountain Basins in the Andean Region (CAMBIAR) project – Peru’s vulnerability in food and agriculture has actually been rising in recent years. Low irrigation levels, migration from rural to urban areas, dependence on imports, and a high degree of sensitivity to climatic changes require significant attention from entrepreneurs (often, small-scale) to create locally-based solutions to increase food security in their community.

MEDA: For their work on the Technology Links for Improved Access and Incomes (Techno-Links) – MEDA has created an innovative program, Techno-Links, which provides rural farming families access to technology (such as drip irrigation and tilling equipment) for agricultural products. In many developing countries, inputs to agriculture are scarce, and extreme poverty and red tape prevents many businesses from getting off of the ground. Through the Techno-Links projects in Peru, thousands of small farmers will be able to create sustainable farming systems that stimulate economic growth and food security in their communities.

Positive Innovation for the Next Generation (PING): For their work on the Disease Surveillance & Mapping Project in Botswana – The GAIN Index shows Botswana’s high vulnerability in the healthcare sector. A lack of doctors and nurses, domestic resources and medical information can significantly worsen the effects of natural disasters and disease outbreaks. PING is doing something about it.

Ushahidi: For their creation of the Crowd Source Technology Platform and Tools­– Ushahidi is a nonprofit tech company that specializes in developing free and open source software for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping. Ushahidi has created an innovative crowdsource technology and other tools to change the way information flows and how everyday citizens interface with that data.  It uploads information based on twitter or SMS messages, processes that data and translates it to a map. The Ushahidi technology has been used to help communities communicate during times of crisis, such as during floods and earthquakes as well as convey food and energy shortages. 

The Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization guided by a vision of building resilience to climate change and other global forces as a key component to sustainable development.

Please visit us at: gain.org

•  Jamie Carson, Director of Communications

202-559-4549 or jcarson@gain.org, or

•  Davis Cherry, Development & Communications Associate

202-559-4539 or dcherry@gain.org

# # #

The Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization guided by a vision of building resilience to climate change and other global forces as a key component to sustainable development.

Please visit us at: gain.org

Former Presidents, José María Aznar of Spain and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, applaud GAIN’s work during Atlantic Basin Initiative conference in São Paulo

Global Adaptation Index™ Will Be Presented at CoP17 in Durban

Creating the Right Incentives for Private and Public Sector Participation in Adaptation

Durban, South Africa (December 3, 2011) The Global Adaptation Index^™ gain.globalai.org (“GaIn^™”) is a new navigation tool that can guide countries toward greater resilience to climate change and other global forces.

Adaptation will continue to emerge as a key issue in CoP17 and future climate negotiations. The Global Adaptation Institute has created GaIn to respond to the various challenges of sustainable development including climate change, population growth and economic development. GaIn specifically seeks to guide private sector engagement in adaptation, but can also assist governments, NGOs and international institutions in determining what actions and policies will promote and facilitate these investments. “Our aim is that GaIn will be a tool used for illuminating the challenges, and identifying the most effective areas for action,” said Global Adaptation Institute CEO, Dr. Juan José Daboub.

Gain reveals that South Africa and other major emerging economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and Mexico, are making significant improvements, both decreasing their vulnerabilities and increasing their readiness. However, India remains vulnerable in its agriculture and food sectors; China must confront strains on its water resources and lacks infrastructure to access internal markets; and South Africa’s highly vulnerable health sector drains human resources from innovation.

Ernst & Young has already found that tools such as GaIn can help the world confront adaptation challenges as highlighted in its report, “Durban dynamics: navigating for progress on climate change.”

The Global Adaptation Institute’s Director of Science and Technology, Dr. Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño, will showcase GaIn Dec. 3 with Ernst & Young in the Media Center at the World Climate Summit (WCS), a conference for business, financiers, philanthropists and governments to accelerate solutions to climate change. Sanchez will also participate in a panel “South Africa: sustainably developed” on Sunday, Dec. 4, as part of the WCS. 

The Global Adaptation Institute™ is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization guided by a vision of building resilience to climate change and other global forces as a key component to sustainable development.

Please visit us at: www.globalai.org  

Global Adaptation Index™ Launches in Russia

Global Adaptation Institute Brings Together Private Sector, Public Officials and NGOs at Carnegie Moscow Center Following International Adaptation Conference

Moscow, Russian Federation (November 9, 2011)Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev has said that the severity of last year’s massive fires surrounding Moscow should serve as a “wake up call” for all to counter global climate challenges. Today, the Global Adaptation Institute™ shared a tool, the Global Adaptation Index™ (gain.globalai.org) (“GaIn™”), that can help the Russian Federation and other countries tackle these global challenges.

Convening at the Carnegie Moscow Center, participants in the international scientific conference, “Problems of Adaptation to Climate Change,” discussed how GaIn can help prioritize responses to the various challenges of sustainable development, including climate change and population and economic growth.

Global Adaptation Index™ Launch in Latin America

Government officials, students, teachers, business leaders and media participate in the trans-continental telecast hosted by the Tecnologico de Monterrey and the Global Adaptation Institute™

WASHINGTON and MONTERREY, Mexico, Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Today, the Tecnologico de Monterrey hosted a presentation on the Global Adaptation Index™ (gain.globalai.org) (“GaIn™”) that was telecast to 39 of its campuses throughout Mexico and Latin America. In addition, many other institutions in Latin America joined, representing civil society, academica and the public and private sectors from Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, Colombia and Panama.

GaIn is a response to the various challenges of sustainable development including population growth, economic expansion and the effects of climate change. It was developed as a navigation tool to help prioritize and measure progress in adapting to these challenges.

“The Global Adaptation Institute is promoting investment in projects that address adaptation to not only climate change impacts, but also the problems associated with migration, urbanization and economic development. This is a very timely initiative and I am happy to see that the Institute is incorporating ideas from the private and public sectors, academia and civil society,” states Dra. Maria de Lourdes Dieck Assad, Rector, Graduate Schools of Business and Government ITESM – Tecnologico de Monterrey. Dieck Assad is a member of the Institute’s Council of Scientific Advisors.

GaIn’s compilation of 15 years of data finds that Mexico has improved its GaIn rank 16 places since 1995. During this time, Mexico’s vulnerability has declined while its readiness to absorb investments and apply them effectively toward increasing resiliency to climate change and other global forces has increased. Mexico faces the most significant adaptation challenges in food and water as well as strengthening institutions to combat corruption and increasing political stability.

Peru and Brazil are among the other Latin American nations that have significantly improved their GaIn rank while Chile and Uruguay currently rank the highest in the region, positions 20 and 22, respectively, in the overal GaIn Ranking.  For many of these countries, increasing education levels and maintaining stable political institutions as well as providing greater clean water access are keys to their success. Relatively high levels of vulnerability coupled with declining or stagnating levels of readiness contribute to the declining positions of Bolivia and Paraguay.

Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, Founding CEO, Global Adaptation Institute, emphasized that “massive investments in adaptation will be needed throughout the coming decades, but current allocations from governments and international institutions point to a large investment gap. With the proper business environment, such a gap can be filled by the private sector. This is why we are ‘measuring what matters’ for those people and communities vulnerable to global changes and the investors and innovators that will help solve these challenges.”

Dr. Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuno, Director of Science and Technology, Global Adaptation Institute, showcased the power of GaIn to help direct government, civil society and the private sector toward effective investments in adaptation. Nuno pointed out that “in order to bring the private sector to the table, to develop innovative adaptation solutions, we must measure not only the vulnerabilities of a country, but also whether an enabling environment for business exists.”

The Global Adaptation Institute will continue to engage leading institutions and thought leaders around the world this year as part of its launch of GaIn.

The Global Adaptation Institute™ is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization guided by a vision of building resilience against climate change and other global forces as a key component to sustainable development.

Please visit us at: www.globalai.org

Global Adaptation Institute Leads Climate Week NYC 2011 Opening Session Panel on “Rethinking Resiliency”

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2011 — Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, Founding CEO of the Global Adaptation Institute, led Climate Week NYC’s opening session panel of business, government and non-profit sector leaders. The panel discussion “Rethinking Resiliency” was attended by more than 200 people and held at the New York Institute of Science. It focused on how business and government can collaborate to adapt to climate change.

Global Adaptation Institute Highlights Opportunities for Adaptation at the International Salzburg Trilogue

Salzburg, Austria (August 23) The Global Adaptation Institute’s Founding CEO, Dr. Juan José Daboub, attended the Salzburg Trilogue, Aug. 18–19, in which high-ranking leaders from around the world convened to discuss global economic challenges and improvement in global governance.

Daboub described the Institute’s development of the Global Adaptation Index™ (GaIn™), a tool for decision makers in the private and public sectors to prioritize investments in adaptation to climate change and other global forces. By bringing the importance of adaptation for sectors crucial to human well being, such as agriculture and energy, to the world stage, the Institute’s work aligns with the aims of the conference, which includes clarifying the goals and social norms that can guide global development.

“Most investments have been for climate mitigation. Adaptation is a necessary parallel target. Prioritizing public resources and attracting the private sector to investments in adaptation can have life changing, and measurable, effects in a relatively short period of time. Ultimately, we are focused on the lives of people and the opportunity of improving their livelihoods, “ Daboub stated.

Measuring What Matters: Global Adaptation Institute Launches Open Consultation Process for the Global Adaptation Index™

Washington, D.C. (August 15, 2011) The Global Adaptation Institute is currently hosting an international Open Consultation process in anticipation of the official release of the Global Adaptation Index™ (GaIn™) this fall. 

GaIn™ is the first tool specifically created to assist not only governments and NGOs, but also inform the revolution in private sector investment that is needed to protect people around the world from the effects of climate change and other global forces. The Global Adaptation Institute is a nonprofit organization guided by a vision of building resilience to climate change and other global forces as a key component of sustainable development.

“The Open Consultation process will help the Institute refine the presentation and communication of the results and insights found in GaIn™, “ said Dr. Ian Noble, chief scientist at the Institute. “GaIn™ must be understandable and viewed as relevant by business executives and government leaders, not just by the specialists in the field. We want investors to put their money in developing countries that are creating the opportunities to overcome their vulnerabilities. It is about investing in people’s future.”

MIDIENDO LO QUE IMPORTA: El Instituto por la Adaptación Global Lanza el Proceso de Consulta Abierta del Índice de Adaptación Global ™

Washington, DC (17 de agosto de 2011) El Instituto por la Adaptación Global está llevando a cabo un proceso de consulta abierta a nivel internacional en anticipación al lanzamiento oficial del Índice de Adaptación Global ™ (GaIn ™) en el otoño de este año.

GaIn™ es la primera herramienta creada no sólo para apoyar a gobiernos y organizaciones no gubernamentales, sino que también para dar a conocer los cambios necesarios en la inversión del sector privado para proteger a las personas en todo el mundo de los efectos del cambio climático y otras fuerzas naturales. El Instituto por la Adaptación Global es una organización sin fines de lucro, cuya visión es crear mayor resistencia al cambio climático y otros problemas globales, como un componente clave para el desarrollo sostenible. 

World Renowned Experts Join Global Adaptation Institute Council of Scientific Advisers

Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2011) Following the success of the Global Adaptation Institute’s first Annual Meeting and Consultation on the Global Adaptation Index™ (GaIn™), eight scientists, representing seven countries, have become founding members of the Institute’s Council of Scientific Advisers. The Council will advise the Institute on creating rigorous and useful metrics and effective demonstration projects that will help the world’s most vulnerable adapt to the effects of climate change and other global trends.