Authors:Eti Herbert, Omolara Olateju Odeniyi Abstract: The World Bank is an international financial institution responsible for issuing loans, grants, aids, etcetera to states and multinational corporations for the purpose of carrying out reconstruction and development projects and investments, respectively. Several criticisms have trailed the World Bank’s project financing, especially with regards to the conditionality of economic restructuring usually imposed thereto. However, in 2013, the World Bank realigned its goal toward reducing poverty to less than 3 percent by 2030. Mechanisms such as the Poverty Reduction Strategic Paper (PRSP), Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) were created toward this end. It is in view of the foregoing that this paper examined the impact of World Bank assisted projects on poverty alleviation. This paper concluded that for the Bank to achieve its goal at the set date, a purposive approach must be adopted to ensure the participation of the various stakeholders in the poverty alleviation process. PubDate: 2022-07-13 DOI: 10.52214/consilience.vi25.6748
Authors:Iris Wan Wan Duong Abstract: The purpose of this essay is to situate investing in a commercial context where consideration of ESG and impact factors at the least does not compromise investment returns, and hence excludes discussions on non-profits, private foundations and charitable organizations. Instead, I look into pension funds, private equities and hedge funds whose primary fiduciary duty is to serve the economic interest of beneficiaries. Grounded in case studies and real-life interviews, this essay explore ways in which investors can transcend their roles of merely financiers to become gatekeepers, value creators and reformers of corporate mission, steering companies towards the path of sustainability. Ultimately, by examining the regulatory framework, valuation models and implementation tactics of various sustainable investment strategies, this essay seeks to illuminate a new understanding of ‘value maximization’ that ties positive externalities to long-term portfolio performance. PubDate: 2022-07-13 DOI: 10.52214/consilience.vi25.8794
Authors:Oliver Fryett Abstract: Crafting an adequate and cohesive global response to climate change has presented a monumental challenge. Fairly distributing climate responsibility, the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities for climate action, has been a key obstacle. Traditionally, climate responsibility has focused on the nation-state, yet these methods of responsibility allocation have failed in their key goal; to drive effective action to respond to the social and environmental consequences of climate change. This paper seeks to strengthen the link between climate responsibility and effective action across society. Building on currently accepted methods of responsibility allocation, particularly the ‘Carbon Majors’, I map the transfer of wealth during the production of greenhouse gases from extraction location to end recipient in company shareholders, with the aim of better representing a problem that is not neatly contained within national borders. PubDate: 2022-07-13 DOI: 10.52214/consilience.vi25.8090
Authors:Nicholas Zhu Abstract: Surface permeability significantly impacts the urban environment. Specifically, impermeable surfaces result in runoff, which in turn causes flooding and pollution. Left unchecked, impermeable surfaces can lead to hazardous conditions for unlucky city residents. These concerns are prominent in Philadelphia, and in response the municipal government has launched an ambitious plan to increase permeability by installing green infrastructure. This paper explores how spatial and demographic research can be combined to provide a holistic assessment of surface permeability across one of America’s largest cities. First, 2020 satellite imagery, provided by the USGS, was used to classify permeable and impermeable surfaces over the entire city. Next, demographic data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey – household income, rent, and home value, all by census block group – were individually merged with the surface permeability classification to generate three overlays (e.g., surface permeability correlated with household income). Upon quantitative and qualitative examination of these overlays, it was found that impermeable surfaces are unevenly distributed and inequitably concentrated in Philadelphia’s less-affluent communities. Overall, the methodology used in this research demonstrates a multi-disciplinary and reproducible procedure for joint environmental-demographic research. Additionally, the conclusions reached offer location-specific insights that can help inform Philadelphia’s future green infrastructure investments and runoff mitigation strategies. PubDate: 2022-07-13 DOI: 10.52214/consilience.vi25.8249
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