New energy bills in the U.S. Congress, the state of the MGC in Sub-Saharan Africa, building sustainable business on Brazil nuts, broadband in India, and African Venture funds.

July 5, 2007

EarthTrends: Environmental Information

• New Energy Bill Makes Strides Towards GHG Reduction; WRI's President Responds. June 28, 2007.

• Weak Governance, Institutional Capacity Slows MDG Progress in Sub-Saharan Africa. June 27, 2007.

New Ventures

• Rising Ventures: Ouro Verde Amazônia. The name of this company, Ouro Verde, literally translates to "Green Gold," referring to the environmental and economic benefits of the sustainably harvested Brazil nut. One of the founders discusses the history and future plans of Ouro Verde in a recent interview.

NextBillion.net: Development Through Enterprise

• Building Broadband to Rural Sri Lanka. Synergy Strategies Group (SSG) has undertaken a new and highly innovative approach in expanding broadband rural access across the country. July 2, 2007.

• Two New African Venture Funds. The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund and the Overseas Private Investment Company’s (OPIC) African Social Development Fund are facilitating private sector development in Africa. July 2, 2007.

• "Very Simple" Business Model: Product Franchising. Abhay Clinics in India reaches BOP markets by licensing existing retailers to sell products under a franchise brand. June 28, 2007.

Environmental News

• Green Futures Magazine. Issue 65 - July 2007. How much do you want this forest (in millions)? You can't measure the value of a rainforest in money. Or can you? It's a debate which could have a huge impact on future strategies for curbing climate change and catastrophic forest loss. Terry Slavin reports.

• Canada NewsWire. June 28, 2007. Nine in ten Ontarians want more of Ontario's Boreal forest protected as a shield against global warming.

• VietNamNet Bridge. June 28, 2007. US, Australia support pilot Internet project in Quang Ngai. The U.S. Agency for International Development has signed an agreement with its Australian counterpart AusAID to co-sponsor a pilot project that will bring low-cost telephone and Internet broadband services via WiFi technology to the rural central province of Quang Ngai.

• Manila Bulletin (Philippines). June 28, 2007. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative. When I.T. companies compete, they compete hard. But when they work on a certain initiative, you can expect the same intensity from them.

• Bloomberg. June 27, 2007. Ford, Chrysler Join Call to Set Greenhouse Gases Cap (Update2). Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler, under pressure to build more climate-friendly vehicles, joined a business-environmental group today urging the U.S. government to set a national cap on global warming pollution through a system of economic credits.

• Reuters. June 27, 2007. India's emissions may be higher due to dams: study. India's greenhouse gas emissions could be 40 percent higher than official estimates if methane released from dams is taken into account, according to a new study. 

• Business Week/Associated Press. Jun 27, 2007. USCAP members at a glance.

• Voice of America. June 20, 2007. Climate Change Threatens Livelihoods. Climate change is creating new realities for many communities across the globe, threatening livelihoods and producing environmental refugees in some cases, and presenting new opportunities in others.