BRINGING ADAPTATION TO THE WORLD STAGE: Global Adaptation Institute Concludes First Annual Meeting

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During its first Annual Meeting this week in Washington, D.C., the Global Adaptation Institute announced that it is moving into a new phase in the development of the Global Adaptation Index™ (GaIn™). Adaptation experts, governmental dignitaries, and think tanks gathered to evaluate and make recommendations on world progress on Adaptation to climate change and other global forces.

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GaIn™ is a metric which 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. "We are guided by the maxim - That which cannot be measured cannot be improved," said Dr. Ian Noble, the Chief Scientist of the Institute. GaIn™ will include indicators designed to accelerate private sector investment in Adaptation initiatives and encourage governments and civil society to ramp up their efforts on this issue. This development phase will include consultation with scientists, investors, policymakers, and representatives of NGOs and think tanks.

Preservation of agriculture, water and coastal protection are more present than ever in the budgets of countries and in the board room discussions of large corporations. Smaller enterprises as well as civil society organizations are also learning to cope with the effects of climate change and accelerated changes to the environment.

"Ultimately, it is about vulnerable people in society; those that for several reasons cannot yet take destiny into their own hands," said former Managing Director of the World Bank and Founding CEO of the Global Adaptation Institute, Dr. Juan Jose Daboub. As the Former Minister of Finance of El Salvador, Dr. Daboub also welcomed the actions the Mexican government and other countries are taking to allocate funds for Adaptation initiatives in their budgets. "In the recent visit we made with former Spanish President Aznar to Mexico, we learned from authorities about their concrete actions to support projects that enhance resilience in vulnerable areas of the country. During our Annual Meeting, we also heard from the Ministry of the Environment of Mexico about Adaptation projects at the local level. This is progress in my view," he concluded.

The Global Adaptation Institute will also use GaIn™ to identify, fund, and rapidly implement high-impacting Adaptation projects, the results of which, will help refine and update GaIn™ for years to come.

Another important mission of the Institute is to raise the awareness of Adaptation among government leaders, industry, civil society, and other audiences. Philippe Cousteau, 31 year-old grandson of Jacques Cousteau, and CEO of EarthEcho International and Azure Worldwide, will aid the Institute in its goal of raising global awareness of Adaptation. Cousteau spoke at the Institute's Annual Meeting luncheon and announced his partnership with the Global Adaptation Institute on communications and outreach.

Ken Hersh, Chairman of the Board of the Institute and CEO of NGP Energy Capital Management noted, "We are truly grateful that the world's preeminent scientific, political and economic thinkers on Adaptation could join us for this very important meeting. Their expertise in developing sustainable solutions for Adaptation will help the Institute move forward in developing effective metrics, as well as raising the awareness needed to increase the likelihood of saving lives and improving livelihoods."

Participants from 5 continents and 17 countries were welcomed by former President of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, who highlighted the urgency of Adaptation during his speech during the Annual Meeting Reception. "I want to encourage other leaders of the world to take a closer look at what the Institute is doing and get involved in this worthy effort, because it is not compassion unless it really works," said the former President in closing.

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