Scientific American Magazine Cites Global Adaptation Institute on Energy Challenges for the World's Poor

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientific American quoted the Global Adaptation Institute's Founding CEO, Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, in a June 30, 2011 article on the difficulties "Energy Poverty" poses to developing countries. Addressing the challenges those in the least developed countries continue to face while obtaining access to energy, Dr. Daboub stated, "In Uganda, less than 5 percent of the population has energy, it doesn't make sense to talk about energy efficiency." His comments were made at the Rockefeller Foundation's conference, "The Business of Climate Change: Opportunities in Adaptation and Resilience," and were reported by REUTERS on July 6, 2011.

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The Global Adaptation Institute is working to promote solutions to challenges the world's poor confront in the energy and other sectors, such as water and agriculture, by mobilizing private sector investments in adaptation to climate change and other global trends. This fall, the Institute will release the Global Adaptation Index™ (GaIn™), a tool to help decision makers in the private and public sectors prioritize these investments. GaIn™ is a metric that measures two main concepts: 1. the vulnerability of a country to the effects of climate change and other global forces and 2. the readiness of a country to successfully implement adaptation solutions. The Institute recently formed its Council of Scientific Advisers to ensure the Index is held to rigorous technical and scientific standards.

The Scientific American article tackles the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding the provision of energy to vulnerable communities. According to the article, approximately two billion people around the world do not have access to "modern energy," such as fossil fuels and electricity, and that "using less energy is not the answer for the world's poorest." These challenges will become more complex as climate change, population growth and economic development strain both modern and more traditional sources of energy.

Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.

The Global Adaptation Institute ™ is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c) 3 environmental organization guided by a vision of building resilience against climate change and other global forces as a key component to sustainable development. Visit us at: www.globalai.org.

SOURCE Global Adaptation Institute