Search Climate Insights Directory

The research presents a hybrid water security-ecosystem services-human well-being adaptation framework developed through a collaborative science-policy dialogue in the Maipo River basin, Chile. This framework, inspired by robust decisionmaking (RDM), identifies water-related attributes to protect against climate variability and helps participants align short-term water needs with long-term development and ecosystem goals. It serves as a tool to identify performance indicators and focus dialogue on climate uncertainties, intersectoral relations, and the scale of adaptation strategies.

The research examines jatropha-based bioenergy projects in Yucatan, Mexico, finding that the popular discourse promoting the crop as a tool for rural development and sustainability is flawed. Based on 70 interviews, the study concludes that these projects failed to provide significant social sustainability benefits and argues that bioenergy projects alone cannot achieve social sustainability without a comprehensive understanding of local socioeconomic problems.

The paper provides practical software engineering guidance for developing agent-based models of coupled human-natural systems, using a model of agricultural production in the Argentine Pampas as a case study. It covers design elements such as model classes, activity diagrams, data flow, package layout, design patterns, performance optimization, and the processes for model measurement, validation, and verification.

The study examines the relationship between ecosystem services and local wellbeing in Panguipulli, Chile, focusing on the use of natural medicinal plants. It finds that wellbeing is constructed both through private family practices, such as the intergenerational transmission of knowledge during plant collection, and public community initiatives, specifically the Inter-Cultural Health Program. The research identifies the Inter-Cultural Health Program, the Inter-Cultural Health Table, cultural agents, and the family unit as the primary 'satisfiers' that meet various local needs, ranging from understanding and participation to affection and freedom.

The study finds that in northeast Brazil, specifically among irrigated farmers in Pernambuco during the 2011–2013 drought, adaptation to water scarcity occurred as an unintended consequence of non-climate-focused developments. Key drivers included income diversification through the clothing industry, poverty alleviation programmes under the Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff administrations, and the adoption of efficient irrigation technology originally intended to reduce labour and erosion.

The document examines the "Reunión de Consenso" based at the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) in Argentina, a collaborative space where academic, technical, and scientific institutions work together to generate quarterly climate forecasts. Using an ethnographic approach, the study investigates the institutional and socio-cultural factors influencing the production of climate information and the specific challenges faced by the SMN and its partners in delivering climate services.

The document outlines the elements and instruments of groundwater governance, utilizing a global diagnostic based on thematic papers and regional consultations. It analyzes the roles of actors, legal frameworks, policies, and knowledge, specifically highlighting the importance of monitoring and assessment through a case study of The Netherlands. The text concludes by proposing a 'Global Vision for 2030' and a Framework for Action developed by UNESCO, FAO, the World Bank, and IAH to achieve good groundwater governance, including the management of transboundary resources.

The research examines how social capital, formed through formal and informal institutionalized relationships, helps poor farmers maintain agricultural livelihoods amidst the territorial transformations caused by urban expansion. Focusing on fifteen ejidos in a municipality near Morelia, Mexico, the study uses interviews with ejidal presidents to analyze how trust, reciprocity, and social engagement mobilize resources. The findings emphasize the role of local institutional and non-institutional arrangements in regulating resource access and distribution in peri-urban areas.

A study of an NSF-PIRE research project involving team members in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico identified five primary barriers to international interdisciplinary research: integration, language, fieldwork logistics, personnel and relationships, and time commitment.

The text describes the use of collaborative research networks—comprising academics, experts, officials, and social agents—to mitigate extreme climate events like droughts. It specifically highlights two projects: one providing climate services for southern South America and another creating a regional drought monitoring, prediction, and early warning system in the southwest of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.

CBRE is implementing a multi-step engagement strategy to tackle Scope 3 emissions, which are over 50 times greater than its direct operational emissions. By identifying a core group of 7,500 suppliers responsible for 90% of its purchased goods and services emissions, the firm provides tailored support, including a free emissions calculation platform via Emitwise, to help small and medium-sized enterprises report data. While only 16% of engaged suppliers have provided all requested information, the company is improving response rates by integrating climate reporting into its Partner Excellence Program and translating resources into multiple languages.

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile, 2,100-MW underground transmission line connecting wind energy from MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market. By co-locating the line within existing railroad rights of way and utilizing undergrounding, the project has significantly reduced community opposition and simplified siting. The developer has implemented a variety of benefits, including 'good neighbor payments' to adjacent landowners, municipal franchise agreements that fund local infrastructure like broadband expansion, and apprenticeship programs for underserved youth. While the project faces skepticism regarding the higher upfront costs of undergrounding compared to overhead lines, the developer argues that lifecycle costs are competitive, particularly when accounting for extreme weather resilience and reduced siting delays.

The research examines four case studies in Argentina, Mexico, and the USA to demonstrate how disconnected or neoliberal water policies exacerbate vulnerabilities for less privileged groups in arid regions. It argues that water policies act as key non-climatic factors that can either increase or reduce climate vulnerability depending on their inclusivity and coordination with other resource policies.

The paper argues that 'wicked problems' in water security require integrative science-policy interfaces. It defines 'dialogic science-policy networks' as interdisciplinary, international, cross-sectoral, open, continual, and flexible interactions that achieve inclusivity, involvement, interaction, and influence. The authors highlight the AQUASEC virtual center as a comprehensive example of such a network, which has since expanded into the International Water Security Network. While these networks facilitate scientific and policy achievements, they face significant challenges regarding steady commitment and financial support, and there remains a research gap in evaluating their long-term outcomes.

The document details the decline of the yellow clam (Mesodesma mactroides) along the Atlantic coast of South America due to rising sea surface temperatures and the subsequent recovery efforts in Uruguay. It highlights the use of co-management, conservative catch quotas, and phytoplankton monitoring as adaptive measures to build fishery resilience against climate stressors and harmful algal blooms.

The report examines four case studies to illustrate strategies for integrating gender perspectives into mining operations. In the DRC, Kamoa Copper SA uses a tiered educational and training pipeline to increase female employment. In South Africa, Ivanplats leverages intersectional legislative frameworks to foster partnerships between national contractors and Black women-owned businesses. In Mauritania, Kinross Gold Corporation supports a women's sewing cooperative to diversify local income. In Chile, SQM co-established the Atacameña Women’s Alliance (AMA) to provide health and financial support through a participatory governance model. The document argues that combining direct employment, inclusive procurement, and community-led benefit agreements can transform mining's social impact and enhance the economic empowerment of marginalized women.

The document analyzes the regulatory gap in EU drone law regarding self-operating systems, arguing that current dichotomous definitions of autonomy and an over-reliance on operational oversight (via the 'remote pilot') are inadequate. It proposes a 'spectral approach' to autonomy and a shift toward design-based regulation to ensure safety in an increasingly automated airspace, specifically within the U-Space traffic management framework.

The report examines how urban green space access is often socially determined by income, gender, and age, particularly in rapidly growing cities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It highlights that lower-income communities often prioritize provisioning services—such as food and fuel—over the aesthetic or health-related benefits typically emphasized in high-income contexts. The authors argue that top-down planning frequently fails these populations and can lead to gentrification or social opposition. Using a case study from the Nakuru River area in Kenya, the report identifies systemic barriers to community-led management, including unclear governmental responsibilities, funding shortfalls, and the influence of external NGOs. It concludes that equitable urban greening requires integrating infrastructure improvements and employment opportunities with participatory design that includes women, youth, and people with disabilities.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) examines the complex nexus of climate change, migration, and justice. It argues that climate change acts as a risk multiplier that interacts with socio-economic and political factors rather than being a sole driver of migration. The document identifies eight key challenges—including the oversimplification of the climate-conflict-migration link, the risks of instrumentalizing migration as adaptation, and the impacts of slow-onset events—and proposes interdisciplinary, rights-based solutions. SEI highlights its strengths in analyzing transboundary climate impacts, conducting grounded comparative research to shift power dynamics, and fostering global cooperation for sustainable livelihoods through tools like AidAtlas and Trase.

The research paper examines the 'coloniality' of the international financial architecture, arguing that current climate finance mechanisms are controlled by the Global North and perpetuate power imbalances. The authors propose a decolonial framework based on the 'matrix of power' to evaluate reforms. Applying this to the Bridgetown Initiative, they find that while it is led by the Global South, it remains limited by its reliance on existing institutions like the IMF and World Bank, a lack of focus on debt cancellation, and an over-emphasis on private sector finance. The paper recommends shifting toward grants-based public finance, unconditional debt cancellation, local-level funding access, and global tax and trade reforms to achieve a truly decolonial system.