Christiana Figueres at Bonn Climate Change Conference, May 2016 | Credit: UN Climate Change Flickr
Christiana Figueres Nominated to Head U.N.; NASA-USAID Launch West Africa Satellite Data Hub
The New York Times (7/7) said Christiana Figueres was nominated by Costa Rica to be a candidate for the next U.N. secretary-general, after Ban Ki-moon’s term ends in December. Figueres played a key role in shaping the Paris Agreement.
Space Agency NASA (7/14) said it is partnering with USAID to open a new hub for accessing satellite data in West Africa. The West Africa hub – part of the SERVIR global program – will work with the West African institution AGRHYMET to help the region access and use satellite data and geospatial information to build resilience.
The Guardian (7/7) said Arctic sea ice fell to a record low for June, disappearing at an average rate of 29,000 miles a day, about 70 percent faster than the typical rate of ice loss, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
The New York Times (7/7) reported on the evaporation of Bolivia’s Lake Poopo and the impact this is having on the indigenous Uru-Murato people, who have lived off the lake for generations.
The Washington Post (7/6) said a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that deforestation slowed in Uganda when forest owners were paid just $28 a year to preserve each hectare of trees. The Post said this type of payment for ecosystems services program could fit under the broader U.N. framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.
The Guardian (7/9) wrote about women who are clean energy entrepreneurs in Africa and India.