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This research paper argues that low-carbon energy transitions are social and gendered processes, often dominated by male perspectives. It proposes an 'Alternative Pathways' framework to analyze how different gender perspectives and niche innovations can either work within, depart from, or fundamentally transform the existing energy regime to avoid pathways that are disconnected from local realities.

This case study by RMI examines the necessity of shifting building carbon regulations from a focus on operational emissions to a full life-cycle approach. It highlights the Meishan Near-Zero Carbon Zone in Ningbo, China, as a leading example of implementing life-cycle assessment (LCA) standards and a whole-process management mechanism to achieve deep decarbonization in urban development.

This research paper reviews 60 years of desertification control efforts in China, examining the roles of government policy, eco-industrialization, and ecological interventions in managing arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

This case study by Natural Justice describes the illegal expansion of salt pans by Kurawa Industries Limited in Magarini Sub County, Kilifi County, Kenya. The expansion has caused water salinity that destroyed the coconut crops of a local family, while government agencies and the company have failed to provide licenses, permits, or compensation reports, a situation exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

This report details a Rocky Mountain Institute-supported process in Colorado's Upper Roaring Fork Valley involving Holy Cross Energy to improve grid resilience against hazards like fires. It emphasizes the necessity of utility-community partnerships and the integration of distributed clean energy technologies to provide both daily and emergency benefits.

This case study examines the York Citizen Food Assembly held in November 2019, exploring the role of citizen participation in food system policy making to address complex challenges through authentic engagement.

This submission by Natural Justice to the UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights details the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples and local communities in Africa. It highlights how environmental shifts and land-use changes threaten bio-cultural resources and traditional knowledge, while presenting 'Community Protocols' as a tool for adaptation and the protection of cultural rights. The document also outlines the severe risks faced by cultural and environmental rights defenders in Africa, including violence, criminalization, and land grabbing.

This briefing discusses the emergence of 'vid-checks'—live video-call assessments for home energy, air quality, and resilience—as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines the process, benefits for residents and providers, and the limitations of remote assessments compared to in-person audits.

This case study examines the impact of women-led community cooperatives in Bangladesh, specifically focusing on the Basundhara Forum in Gopalganj district. It details how the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), supported by Christian Aid, uses these forums to enhance livelihoods, improve disaster-risk reduction, and increase women's participation in local government decision-making and climate adaptation planning.

This case study examines the implementation of a solar pump cooperative in Dhundi, Gujarat, which provides irrigation and generates income for farmers by selling excess electricity to the grid. The model incentivizes sustainable groundwater use and reduces carbon emissions by replacing diesel pumps.

This case study describes a women-led climate-smart agriculture model piloted by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) in 2014 in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India. The model focuses on sustainable farming, water conservation, and livelihood diversification to empower rural women and build household resilience against drought and climate change.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the Hong Kong green bond market in 2019, highlighting a trend toward issuer diversification, the launch of the first government green bond, and the dominance of low-carbon building projects. It also examines Hong Kong's role as a regional hub for the Greater Bay Area and the regulatory efforts by the HKMA, SFC, and HKEX to enhance green finance transparency and disclosure.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines a community-based approach to enhancing energy resilience in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, in partnership with Holy Cross Energy (HCE). Following the 2018 Lake Christine Fire, which nearly disabled power to the region, RMI led a five-month stakeholder process to identify and prioritize distributed energy solutions. The report advocates for a shift from traditional grid hardening and isolated backup generators toward integrated distributed energy resources (DERs) that provide both emergency backup ("black sky") and daily operational ("blue sky") value.

This case study profiles Divine Bamboo, a Ugandan social enterprise that produces clean cooking fuel from fast-growing local bamboo species to combat deforestation and health issues associated with traditional fuels.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes global adaptation finance flows for 2015-2016, identifying a significant reliance on public development finance and highlighting critical data gaps in private and domestic public sector tracking. It evaluates the alignment of these flows with regional and country-level vulnerabilities and provides recommendations for improving tracking methodologies to better inform investment.

This briefing transcript features experts from Washington Sea Grant discussing the development and implementation of localized sea level rise projections for coastal managers and decision-makers in Washington State. The presentation details the transition from broad regional assessments to a probabilistic, localized framework that accounts for vertical land movement, and describes how this data is being integrated into urban planning, habitat restoration, and community-led resilience strategies.

This briefing features archaeologist Marcy Rockman discussing the critical but often overlooked role of archaeology and cultural heritage in climate change response. Rockman argues that the U.S. approach to heritage is fragmented and underfunded compared to natural resource management, leading to a lack of social science integration in major climate assessments. She proposes the creation of a federal Climate Heritage Coordination Office and increased NGO engagement to better utilize historical data on sustainability and human adaptation to inform modern climate strategies.

This briefing transcript features Dr. Amy Snover, Director of the Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, discussing strategies to integrate climate science into decision-making. The discussion focuses on the co-production of data with stakeholders, specifically highlighting sea level rise planning in Washington State and vulnerability assessments for Northwest and Great Basin tribes.

This briefing transcript features Mary Austerman of New York Sea Grant discussing the integration of weather and social science data to support participatory planning and coastal resilience in New York's Great Lakes region, specifically focusing on Lake Ontario.

This transcript of a virtual briefing hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) in April 2020 examines the threats to coastal resilience in Alaska. Panelists discuss the compounding effects of permafrost thaw, sea ice loss, and extreme precipitation on infrastructure and food security, while highlighting the critical need to integrate indigenous knowledge with western science and overcome systemic barriers to funding and coordination.