26 Ideas to Save People From Climate Change

What are the best ideas for saving the planet? That's the question asked by this year's Global Development Marketplace competition, called, "100 Ideas to Save the Planet," though I'd say the title's a bit of a misnomer, since what the competition really sought was ideas for how to save the human communities on the planet. The contest asked for the best ideas for adapting communities to climate change, according to SciDevNet. The results? Of the 26 selected winners, some are ideas you'd expect and some are more intriguing.

Take, for instance, the idea of increasing food security in Ethiopia by ensuring women have access to locally adapted species of staple crops. Or the plans of Nicaragua's Miskito people to cultivate Maya nut trees to slow deforestation while at the same time providing nutritious food to thousands of children.

In Ecuador, bamboo houses can resist flooding, and in the Philippines, text messages can help with disaster management. Djibouti would benefit from solar-powered desalination plants, and speakers of Nigeria's Igbo language would gain insight from radio broadcasts about climate change.

The winning projects each receive up to $200,000 in seed money, as well as support for making their ideas reality. The entire competition, co-sponsored by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, among other institutions, will distribute about $5 million. Thirteen of the projects will be in Latin American countries, five in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, four in Africa, two in South Asia and two in Europe. Nine of the projects will be implemented by indigenous communities.

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