IAI Directorate Report to the Conference of the Parties, 2011

The IAI Directorate Report for 2011 details the transition toward establishing 'Centers of Excellence' for water security, the synthesis of research on land-use and climate interactions, and the implementation of regional training institutes. It highlights scientific findings on the importance of climate volatility over long-term trends and the role of biophysical changes in land-use. The report also addresses significant operational challenges in Brazil, including staffing instability and unresolved host country agreement amendments, while noting renewed financial and political engagement from several member countries.

• The IAI is proposing the establishment of a Center of Competence focused on water security, based at the University of Arizona in collaboration with the Catholic University of Santiago, Chile, to synthesize research on hydrology, land use, and climate.
• Research synthesis indicates that biophysical changes resulting from land-use change—such as alterations in albedo, roughness, evapotranspiration, run-off, and infiltration—are as significant as biogeochemical effects like carbon emissions and soil fertility loss.
• Analysis of climate risks suggests that variation and volatility are more critical risk factors for decision-making than long-term trends, and that adapting to climate variability also enhances the capacity to adapt to long-term climate change.
• In the Southern Cone, research on paleoclimate and ocean currents indicates that regional climate states are influenced by the North Pacific Oscillation and Antarctic currents in addition to ENSO, suggesting that regional climate models are needed as GCM downscaling has been insufficient.
• The IAI has conducted extensive capacity building through Training Institutes in 2010 and 2011, covering seasonal climate predictions in Buenos Aires, urban responses to climate change in Santiago, and land-use change and water/food security in Asuncion.
• The IAI faces severe operational instability in Brazil due to repeated termination and renewal of staff contracts and a lack of response from the Brazilian government regarding amendments to the host country agreement.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2011). IAI Directorate Report to the Conference of the Parties, 2011. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-directorate-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. IAI Directorate Report to the Conference of the Parties, 2011. 2011. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-directorate-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=IAI Directorate Report to the Conference of the Parties, 2011 |date=20 May 2011 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-directorate-report-e.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2011iai, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{IAI Directorate Report to the Conference of the Parties, 2011}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2011}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-directorate-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }