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Mexico launches pioneering scheme to insure its coral reef

Fiona Harvey

July 20, 2017 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Cancún, Quintana Roo

Climate change is a mounting threat to coral reefs, which serve not just as critical habitats for ocean life and a draw for the tourism industry, but also as a buffer to the increasing storms caused by changing weather patterns. In the first scheme of its kind, private businesses, nonprofits, and the government in Mexico's Yucatán Penninsula are combining financial resources to take out an insurance policy on their coral reefs. The insurance will help rebuild the reefs after storms and man-made damage, and fund new ways to keep them healthy.

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Taking Guns Off the Streets, $100 at a time

Claire Martin

July 10, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

As professor of medicine and gun-violence researcher Dr. Garen Wintemute notes, gun buyback programs have "struggled against the perception" of ineffectiveness: attracting only older and non-violent gun owners, for instance, and in some cases leading people to use the cash to buy superior firearms. But after Gun by Gun—a gun violence prevention non-profit—successfully raised and invested prodigious sums through a customized online funding campaign, this perception has changed; partnering with several California cities, this national non-prof has used more than $100,000 of nationally-sourced individual donations to create demonstrably sustainable, more successful buyback programs across the state.

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This Woman Was a Pavement Dweller, Today She Runs a Sanitary Pad Manufacturing Unit

Jovita Aranha

July 05, 2017 |

The Better India |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Mumbai, Maharashtra

In the slums of India, living on the street as a "pavement dweller" is a daily struggle for survival - and being a woman on the street is even more terrifying. Organizations like Mahila Milan and the Myna Mahila Foundation are working to help lift women up out of homelessness through the empowerment of employment and breaking crippling cultural taboos.

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How Artificial Intelligence Could Democratize Financial Services In Asia

Casey Hynes

July 03, 2017 |

Forbes |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Lahore

The rapid evolution of technology is continually opening new doors for how microfinance projects can be implemented, improved, and scaled. The team at ADDO A.I. sees artificial intelligence as the catalyst for both microfinance and microinsurance in the emerging markets of Asia. A.I. reduces the need for human assessments, facilitating faster pay-outs and reduced losses through predictive data, while combining information such as financial histories and social media activity with historic context data to create fair, realistic risk assessments that lead to improved credit products.

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When You're in a Carbon Hole, Stop Digging

Robinson Meyer

July 01, 2017 |

Anthropocene Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

The burning of coal for fuel is one of the world's largest contributors to CO2 emissions, and continues to worsen the detrimental effects of planetary warming. But while many feel hopeless in light of an administration that denies climate change and the billion-dollar companies that continue full steam ahead with mining and burning coal, a few clever individuals present a simple and straightforward solution: buy up the coal while it's still in the ground, and pay the government to keep it there.

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How Vienna Conquered Its Own Filth

Feargus O'Sullivan

June 27, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Austria, Vienna

With the staggering amounts of garbage produced by modern lifestyles, waste disposal is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for communities around the world. Vienna has tackled the trouble of trash with an innovative system, channeling the heat from incineration to warm homes and provide hot water, recovering reusable items from the waste stream and selling them in a special shop, and proactively educating the populace about how to reduce waste.

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Start-Ups For the State

Tik Root

June 26, 2017 |

Foreign Policy |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda, Musanze

As part of the massive effort to rebuild their country and encourage economic opportunity - particularly for youth - Rwanda has incorporated entrepreneurship into their culture, education, and economy at an unprecedented level, equating it with nationalism and patriotism. From required courses for students in secondary school to government supported training workshops, they are hoping to create new opportunities and become leaders in social enterprise. But does State-imposed entrepreneurship really inspire sustainable new ventures?

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Madagascar: No more fish? We'll farm seaweed instead

Jacopo Pasotti

June 25, 2017 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Madagascar, Tampolove

Adapting to climate change in coastal areas means adjusting local fishing and cultivation practices. Residents of Velondriake, a locally managed marine area in southern Madagascar, have introduced seaweed and algae farming as an alternative to fishing. With the help of Blue Ventures, an NGO based in the UK, and the University of Toliara, residents are monitoring their ecosystem and finding new markets for their harvests.

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Driving from a wheelchair

Jana Klimova

June 24, 2017 |

Respekt |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Czech Republic, Lostice

A family business in the Czech Republic is manufacturing what they call an Elbee car, an "urban micro-car designed specifically for disabled drivers." It's a vehicle that opens at the front to allow for wheelchair users, and its been officially certified and on the market since 2014. While the car's cost is a limiting factor for its success, the Elbee is seeing interest from wheelchair users and investors alike.

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A second life for waste

Amina Nazarli

June 24, 2017 |

AzerNews |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Azerbaijan

Students are paving the path for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future in Azerbaijan. In a state that doesn't sort its garbage, this group of student-volunteers started "Papillon," a project aimed at up-cycling discarded waste into useful and aesthetic interior decorations and accessories.

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