Patrick V. Verkooijen

Nov 1, 2024 | context.news | Hilda Heine |Patrick V. Verkooijen

Global warming will wipe out small island states unless the COP29 summit allocates significantly more resources for adaptationHilda Heine is President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Professor Patrick Verkooijen is CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. The 39 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that 65 million people call home are on the brink of climate extinction. Rising seas are swallowing up the very land on which they live.

Oct 18, 2024 | newsweek.com | Ban Ki-moon |Patrick V. Verkooijen

Climate change has again unleashed its destructive force on America, smack in the middle of election season. Higher temperatures and warmer seas, two well-known consequences of climate change, are what gave Hurricane Milton its deadly energy and record rainfall, according to initial scientific assessments. Yet even as troops are dispatched to aid devastated communities, the issue of climate change barely features in the campaign of either presidential candidate.

Sep 19, 2024 | context.news | Patrick V. Verkooijen

At this month's Summit for the Future in New York, world leaders should remember the importance of education, especially in AfricaProfessor Patrick Verkooijen is chancellor of the University of Nairobi and Ban Ki-moon Chair on Climate Adaptation Governance at the University of Groningen. Youth unemployment and under-employment across Africa represent a tragic missed opportunity for the continent and the world.

Sep 18, 2024 | nation.africa | Patrick V. Verkooijen

Youth unemployment and under-employment across Africa is a tragic missed opportunity for the continent and the world. One million young Africans enter the workforce every month, but only one in four finds a formal sector job. Their world is one of limited jobs, few skills, and little hope. The International Labour Organization (ILO) last month warned of an imminent “youthquake” across Africa if job creation and employment did not improve quickly and dramatically.

Jul 2, 2024 | newsweek.com | Patrick V. Verkooijen

For many countries in the Global South, climate finance remains an elusive thing—desirable, necessary, and beyond reach. The headline figures at climate summits make for gushing headlines; the reality is more of a thin trickle. Africa receives less than 5 percent of total climate investment worldwide. At around $30 billion a year, this is eight times less than we need to climate-proof our food systems, our energy and transport infrastructure, and our urban and rural environments.