Environmental degradation and political instability, urban growth, angel Investment in Brazil, returns to capital in microenterprises, and the $3000 car in Bangalore.

July 10, 2007

EarthTrends: Environmental Information

• Environmental Degradation and Political Instability: Lessons from Sudan. A recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme concludes that past and present conflicts in Sudan are linked to the serious environmental degradation that has occurred in the country over the last several decades. July 6, 2007.

• Urbanization Legends: Is urban growth part of the problem or part of the solution? This year's United Nations Population Fund report arrives as humanity nears the date when, for the first time in history, more humans will be living in cities than in rural areas. July 3, 2007.

New Ventures

• New Ventures Brazil Hosts Landmark Angel Investor Event. Over 50 investors attended the event to discuss the role of angels as investors and mentors. July 5, 2007.

NextBillion.net: Development Through Enterprise

• A report on the Nubian Cheetah and AIDG's Haiti Project to bring sanitation services to Cap Hatien, Haiti's second-biggest city. July 6, 2007.

• What are the returns to capital in microenterprises? What are the effects of demand shocks, entrepreneurial ability, and other independent variables? New resources tackle these issues. July 6, 2007.

• Angels in Sao Paulo - Evidence of the Increasing Role of Partnerships. For the first time, São Paulo has an official angel investor network, the São Paulo Anjos (SPA), bringing together wealthy and socially-minded financiers to channel their investment toward philanthropreneur-type enterprises. July 5, 2007.

• The $3000 Car and the Role of Government. A response and comments on transportation issues in Bangalore. July 4, 2007.

Environmental News

• Fox News. July 8, 2007. Junk Science: Live Earth's Gross Groupies. Why is NBC airing Al Gore’s Live Earth concert this weekend? Why are Democrats, who claim to support the Fairness Doctrine, not objecting to this outright gift of unequal broadcast time to just one side (theirs) of a controversial political issue? Steven Milloy addresses these questions asked by FOX News’ John Gibson this week.

• Philanthropy News Digest. July 6, 2007. Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Makes First Climate Change Initiative Grants. Grants totaling $3.6 million were awarded to researchers from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Environmental Defense, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Resources for the Future, and the World Resources Institute to evaluate and develop policies that put a price on greenhouse gas emissions and address other aspects of the regulatory frameworks needed to reduce the threat of global warming.

• Financial Times. July 5, 2007. Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy: Methodology and Ranking Tables. The Financial Times/Dalberg partnership rankings are a pioneering effort to provide a detailed assessment of the quality of the non-governmental organisations and United Nations’ agencies with which private-sector companies have established long-term working relationships.

• San Francisco Chronicle. July 5, 2007. U.S. is Pressured to Help China Curb Emissions. Now that China has surged past the United States to become the world's leading source of greenhouse gases, pressure is growing on U.S. policymakers to cast aside longtime anti-Beijing sentiment and help China clean up its emissions-spewing coal power industry.

• Financial Times. July 5, 2007. Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy: NGO Evolution - Charities look to businesses. After decades working with only governments on problems such as environmental degradation, poor access to education, poverty and public health crises, the non-profit sector has a new set of colleagues – corporate executives.

• The New York Times. July 3, 2007. Companies Giving Green an Office. New environmental chiefs are helping companies profit from the push to go green.