Adaptation Finance Update: Number of Climate Adaptation Projects Increases, So Must Their Quality

Loknath Das

According to the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), launched at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4), climate adaptation programmes have not effectively dealt with multiple slow and rapid onset hazards, such as floods, droughts, tropical cyclones and sea level rise. Instead of addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability, they are often undertaken through sectoral programmes in, for example, agriculture, health and disaster management. Less than 5% of global climate finance is spent on adaptation, and less than 1% goes to coastal protection, infrastructure and disaster risk management (DRM)….

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Travel Photographer Marisa Hampe Reflects On Her Favorite Photos

Loknath Das

Photographer Marisa Hampe posts beautiful travel images from around the world on her Instagram, but unlike other popular accounts, her photos are dark and daring rather than the sweet and sunny photos that often crowd our feeds. Also instead of checking off popular locales, the German content creator seeks our remote locations frequently scaling mountains and cliffs to get an unobstructed view from the top. I spoke to Hampe about some of her most memorable photos to date and how she got her start in the business. Marisa HampeMARISA HAMPE How did you get…

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How technology plays a critical role in transforming healthcare in India

Loknath Das

Perhaps now more than any other time in our history, we are realising the importance of technology in social service delivery, and its role in enhancing the general quality of life. Growing up in India, where the majority has minimal access to basic public amenities like healthcare, one develops an appreciation for the value of enabling such technologies that assist and scale service delivery in the context of developing countries. Technology can be transformative in delivering healthcare services, where the density of doctors is one per 1,000. A strong imbalance…

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Drop the travel sheets—and actually travel

Loknath Das

I love to travel. Seeing the world is about as close as I come to a vice, maybe an obsession—almost any time to any place by any available means of transportation. I used to tell people, “Offer me a bus ticket to Bakersfield and I’m your guy.” It’s probably a result of my upbringing. I won’t bore you with details or look for sympathy, but for much of my childhood we didn’t have a car and if I wanted to go somewhere, I walked. Add to that the fact that…

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Small finance banks start on a strong wicket: ICRA

Loknath Das

Mumbai: Rating agency ICRANSE 3.23 % expects small finance banks (SFBs) to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 25% to 30% led by diversified loan growth, deposit mobilisation, improving asset quality and better return on equity. The rating agency estimates that SFBs would require external capital of Rs. 4,000-6,000 crore till FY2023 for meeting the growth requirements, part of which will come through IPOs. ICRA estimates that SFBs have reported an annualised growth of 33% in the assets under management (AUM) in 9M FY2019 to Rs. 64,325 crore. These banks have been able…

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Smart home technology may help senior citizens remain independent

Loknath Das

A new survey by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) reveals some results that go against the generalization that seniors won’t adopt smart home technology, especially when it comes to their health. The survey is revealing, even by its predictions. By 2022, the CTA expects the market for connected solutions for seniors to reach nearly $30 billion, while the largest section of that submarket, safety, and smart living technologies is expected to triple in size between 2018 and 2022, reaching over $17 billion. Sixty-five million baby boomers are about to outstrip the traditional age for…

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Why businesses depend on this man’s technology

Loknath Das

The BBC’s weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world. This week we speak to Jeff Lawson, co-founder and chief executive of US technology company Twilio. Jeff Lawson was all set to secure investment in his new start-up Twilio when suddenly people thought the world might be collapsing. Back on Monday, 15 September 2008, Jeff and his two co-founders walked into a meeting with potential investors in Silicon Valley. Getting the funding was supposed to be “almost a formality”, remembers Jeff, who was 31 at the…

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New EU travel requirements mean (slightly) more paperwork for American visitors

Loknath Das

Starting in 2021, Americans will no longer be able to hop across the pond for a spur-of-the-moment visit to Europe without completing pre-authorization paperwork. But they still won’t need a visa. On Friday, multiple outlets reported that the European Union had announced that Americans would be required to complete a new visa to visit member countries — a shift away from the current policy which allows US citizens to travel through the 26 European members of the “Schengen Area” for up to 90 days without a visa. In actuality, the EU’s new…

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Bridging the gap for women in science and technology

Loknath Das

The theme of #BalanceforBetter for this International Women’s Day, is very apt as there is a great need for a more gender balanced world. In the field of science and technology although much efforts are being made to reduce gender disparity, there is still much to be done. Barely 22% of artificial intelligence (AI) professionals globally are female, according to The World Economic Forum 2018. Despite a critical demand for AI skillsets there is a gender gap of 72%. While women have made incredible breakthroughs in science and technology for centuries, they are often unknown…

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[Startup Bharat] Meet edtech startups that are taking quality education to non-metro cities across India

Loknath Das

India’s small towns and cities harbour big dreams and ambitions. But often, students from these cities are at a disadvantage as they don’t have access to the quality education their counterparts in metros do. How will experimentation and innovation flourish if students can’t build on a solid foundation of learning? Students in the metros gain from big players like Byju’s, Khan Academy, and AlmaMapper, but those in Tier II, III, and IV towns are often forced to migrate to educational hubs, including Kota and Hyderabad, or Tier I cities for their education….

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