Season 4 Ep 7: Frugal innovations: solutions for the Global South with a2i

Climate resilience is essential to protect communities in vulnerable regions against extreme weather events. But the volume of funding for adaptation in the Global South, which bears the brunt of climate change, remains far smaller than that for mitigation, which is driving communities to find their own homegrown solutions. Richer nations, which contribute the majority of emissions, must be held accountable. 

This week, Felicia talks to Ashfaq Zaman, strategic communication advisor for Aspire to Innovate (a2i), the Bangladeshi government’s innovation agency, about resilience, vulnerability and reorganising the way we understand value.

We dive into climate resilience, climate justice, and the role of frugal solutions in tackling climate change, especially in the Global South. Our discussion explores how communities historically adapted to climate challenges and how innovation – both technological and mindset-driven – can drive sustainable change, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable innovation, policy reform, and equitable financial commitments to mitigate climate risks.

The key challenge today is to integrate natural, frugal, and homegrown solutions into modern climate strategies. While international climate initiatives and financial pledges have fallen short, local communities continue to innovate and adapt without external support. For example, farmers in Bangladesh are developing indigenous crops which can sustain high salinity by trial and error.

• Our episode on the just transition
• Frugal innovation as a source of entrepreneurship
• Climate change is a matter of justice: here’s why
• Climate change initiatives of Bangladesh

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