East African Business Notifier

Peter Thomson MELBOURNE—For over 30 years, Pacific island countries have issued the same warning at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference: the warming ocean threatens not just food and energy security, but global survival itself.  And almost every year, our warning has been treated as a regional problem, a challenge confined to remote small islands and thus not warranting more than lip service from international leaders. I wish I could say we were wrong. Instead, the climate devastation unfolding before our eyes, supercharged by an El Niño cycle and record-breaking ocean heat, proves that this crisis does not stop at the shoreline. Rising sea levels are swallowing fertile farmland, displacing communities, and driving up insurance premiums for families. Ocean warming threatens the energy grids and ports that power the world economy and keep global supply chains running.  In the Arctic, 60% of coastal infrastructure, much of which is used for critical security ...

Mekala Krishnan, Sylvain Johansson, Kanmani Chockalingam BOSTON/GENEVA/SEATTLE—As world leaders gather in Antalya, Turkey, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), climate adaptation is high on the agenda. The economic case for action is compelling.  Measures ranging from flood defenses to cooling and irrigation technologies can prevent losses—including property damage, lower productivity, and reduced agricultural yields—worth many times their cost. Yet the world invests only a fraction of what’s needed, leaving many people and assets inadequately protected from extreme weather. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) found that the world spends approximately $190 billion annually on 20 proven adaptation measures that protect against heat, wildfire, flooding, and drought. But this is just one-third of the $540 billion needed to protect everyone exposed to climate hazards at developed-economy standards.  These measures could cost $1.2 trillion per year when the wo...

The Government of Austria, through the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), and UNICEF today signed a grant agreement under which Austria will provide EUR 3.5 million (approximately UGX 14.96 billion) to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for children and families in the refugee-hosting districts of Yumbe and Madi-Okollo in West Nile. Together with UNICEF’s contribution of EUR 390,000 , the programme is valued at EUR 3.89 million . The three-year programme, Strengthening the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus through WASH and Climate Action in West Nile , will be implemented from 01 October 2026 – 30 September 2029 and will directly benefit more than 72,000 people, including approximately 14,925 children enrolled in primary and secondary schools. Key interventions under the programme will: ·          Improve access to safe, climate-resilient WASH services for approximately 50,000 people through five health...