Climate and Environment

Highly populated, poor urban areas are particularly susceptible to disasters that result from climate changes. Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps.

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Four ways an Indonesian city is planning for climate disaster

As the Planet Under Pressure conference wrapped up in London last week, MercyCorps’ Indonesia team explains why you want to be in Semarang when the next major climate change related disaster strikes.

Our love affair with morning coffee -- an unexpected weapon in the war on drugs. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/angela7/2228825069/"> Angela7dreams (Flickr)</a>

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Bolivia's new drug crop of choice: caffeine

As the war on drugs continues to appear futile, the drug that supplants coca’s stranglehold over Bolivian farmers might turn out to be ... coffee.

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Who needs the grid? Three ways Africans are making DIY electricity cheaper

Massive flooding in Indonesia is more commonplace due to climate change, impacting poor, urban residents. Photo: David Evans/Mercy Corps.

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Mercy Corps shares urban planning strategies at London climate change conference

This is a guest post by Jim Jarvie, Director of Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resources at Mercy Corps.

Environmental enginnering is making clean drinking water more accessible and affordable to those who need it. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/589718393/sizes/n/in/photostream/">Julien Harneis (flickr)</a>

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Environmental engineering pioneers innovative clean water sources

This article was republished by The Christian Science Monitor

This infographic shows how China and the U.S. compare with regards to current renewable energy capacity. Image: <a href="http://1bog.org/blog/infographic-why-china-is-kicking-our-ass-in-clean-tech">One Block Off The Grid</a>

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Solyndwha? Worldwide, cleantech industry is thriving

While recent criticisms around the failure of clean energy companies such as Solyndra abound, a new report from Clean Edge shows that globally, the industry is growing rapidly.

The HipPump, a portable, low-cost farming tool, will help women in Tanzania plant money making crops year round. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.kickstart.org/products/moneymaker-hip-pump/">Kickstart</a>

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Drill, baby, drill: Rockefeller's cash will finance one-woman water operations

Kickstart, a non-profit that empowers female farmers in Tanzania, recently scored a win with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and The Rockefeller Foundation.

Former President Mohammed Nasheed of the Maldives has been a vocal advocate for action against climate change. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/presidencymaldives/5163835114/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Presidency Maldives (flickr)</a>

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A climate warrior deposed: Maldives coup could sink more than a presidency

Last month’s coup in the Maldives cost the country more than just its president. It may also have lost one of the world’s most outspoken advocates for climate change adaptation.

Since 1990, two billion people have gained access to safe drinking water. Photo: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/2944066693/in/photostream/">Curt Carnemark / World Bank</a>

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Cheers to Clean Drinking Water

Drink up, everyone, there’s great news in the wonderful world of water.

Smog over Beijing's Tiananmen Square is indicative of China's high air pollution levels. Photo: Erik Mandell for MercyCorps

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Carbon credits get a boost from Chinese leadership

What’s the next step for the world’s top-polluting country? Leading the fight against climate change, it seems.

A new study claims that the cassava root will be able to withstand global climate changes. Photo: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanidov/2996193589/sizes/m/in/photostream/”>shanidov(Flickr)</a>

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Can this climate-proof ‘Rambo root’ ease the pains of global warming?

It’s not easy finding a silver lining in the burgeoning effects of global warming on agriculture, but a new scientific report claims that it might not be all gloom and doom.

Finding prime locations to generate solar energy in India is one application of innovative mapping technology. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hjl/54928934/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Photo: hjl (flickr)</a>

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Seeking prosperity? More often than ever, there's a map for that

New mapping innovations are helping communities around the world make their way toward relief and opportunity.

A new material innovation could bring paper back to the office. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13815526@N02/5630896990/">Pierre Lacourt (Flickr)</a>

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Coming soon: Paper computers. No, really.

Need a new computer; will that be paper or plastic?

Paper PP Alloy is a new material that might bring paper back to the office. The alloy, a combination of recyclable paper and polypropylene, could replace the traditional plastic shelling on computers.

U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon says green energy is central to economic growth. Photo: <a href="United Nations Information Service - Geneva">United Nations Information Service - Geneva(flickr)</a>

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U.N. on electricity: Green growth needs a good grid

What can the world’s poorest hope to achieve without energy access? Not much, according to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Apps4Africa helps African farmers to be more productive in the face of climate change. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/iicd/5348358125/sizes/m/in/photostream/">IICD (Flickr)</a>

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Made in Africa: Three mobile apps to fight climate crisis

As the Apps4Africa climate challenge announces its winners, African farmers and communities gain new market tools in tackling the everyday challenges of climate change. And who better to design these tools than Africans themselves?