Search Climate Insights Directory

Liberia's first Adaptation Communication (ADCOM) to the UNFCCC aims to strengthen adaptation action and visibility while balancing it with mitigation. The document summarizes Liberia's national climate circumstances, future projections, and vulnerabilities, while outlining priorities and goals for key sectors including agriculture, coastal zones, health, forestry, and fisheries. The ADCOM was developed with assistance from the NAP Global Network and funding from the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 establishes a series of tax incentives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to an estimated 42% below 2005 levels by 2030. These provisions cover clean electricity, including the extension of renewable energy credits and support for existing nuclear power; clean fuel production, specifically targeting clean hydrogen, renewable fuels, and sustainable aviation fuels; energy efficiency for homes and commercial buildings; and the adoption of clean vehicles. Additionally, the Act provides incentives for clean energy manufacturing to develop domestic supply chains for technologies such as carbon capture, solar, wind, and battery components.

The document identifies climate change as the primary health threat to humanity, noting that extreme weather events directly impact health and livelihoods, leading to involuntary migration. It advocates for strengthening public health systems through climate-resilient facilities, early warning systems, and a transition to low-carbon urban infrastructure. A critical gap is highlighted in funding, as less than 1% of international climate finance is currently allocated to health sector adaptation.

The document outlines strategies for adapting global physical, social, and ecological infrastructure to climate risks, emphasizing the need for immediate investment in low-carbon resilience, the integration of nature-based solutions, and the inclusion of local and Indigenous knowledge. It highlights the vulnerability of essential systems—including energy, transport, and health—and advocates for protecting vulnerable populations through social safety nets and inclusive decision-making.

The document argues that climate adaptation is most effective and sustainable when it is locally led, integrating Indigenous and local knowledge systems and ensuring the agency of marginalized groups. It emphasizes that local communities are best positioned to identify relevant stressors and solutions, and calls for the integration of locally led adaptation into national policies and social protection programs to address social inequities.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), established in 2010, is a federal interagency collaboration led by the EPA to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem. The program focuses on providing safe water, controlling invasive species, mitigating algal blooms, and protecting native habitats. GLRI supports climate resilience by restoring coastal wetlands, forests, and grasslands, and by funding indigenous-led resilience projects. Since its inception, GLRI has funded over 6,000 projects totaling $3.48 billion, protecting over 440,000 acres of habitat and generating an estimated $3.35 in economic activity for every federal dollar spent. Funding is increasing under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019, rising from $300 million to $375 million in FY 2022, with annual increases of $25 million through FY 2026.

A comprehensive manual for land owners and managers in the Cape Floral Region on the identification, legal obligations, planning, and removal of invasive alien plants, including safety protocols and rehabilitation strategies.

The document summarizes a ClientEarth conference session featuring experts who discussed the importance of strategic litigation, transparency, and the Aarhus Convention in achieving the green transition. Key discussions focused on the European Commission's proposal to revise the Aarhus Regulation, the limitations of the CJEU's Plauman judgment, and the tension between representative democracy and the long-term environmental goals pursued by NGOs.

The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), effective since March 2013, prohibits the placement of illegally logged timber on the EU market. It requires economic operators who first place timber on the market to implement a Due Diligence System (DDS) to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal logging, ensuring that timber with non-negligible risk cannot be sold.

The 116th Congress has pursued several bipartisan initiatives to protect U.S. biodiversity, focusing on wildlife corridors, land preservation, endangered species, and invasive species management. Key legislative proposals include the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act and the Great American Outdoors Act, alongside efforts to restore previous protections under the Endangered Species Act and expand invasive species management through the WILD Act.

The 2019 Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference, the longest in UNFCCC history, failed to reach a consensus on the operationalization of Article 6 regarding market and non-market mechanisms. While the conference achieved progress on the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and the Lima Work Programme on Gender, it was marked by significant disconnects between scientific demands for ambition and the limitations of multilateral negotiations. Key unresolved issues, including long-term climate finance and common time frames for NDCs, were deferred to future sessions under Rule 16.

The document outlines a framework for building a resilient 1.5-degree world, focusing on three pillars: resilient economies, people/communities, and environments. It emphasizes the need to bring adaptation and resilience investment on par with mitigation, noting that current resilience finance is only around 5%. The report highlights specific global initiatives, such as the Insuresilience Global Partnership and the CRAFT fund, and provides a detailed annex of stakeholder contributions regarding data access, nature-based solutions, and the empowerment of marginalized groups.

At its 23rd meeting, the GCF Board approved 10 new projects totaling USD 266.90 million in GCF funding, which, with co-financing, will support over USD 1.45 billion in climate action across 10 developing countries. The Board adopted several key governance frameworks, including a compliance risk policy, an updated policy on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), and procedures for decision-making when consensus is not reached. Additionally, the Board established that the first replenishment period will run from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 and approved four new Accredited Entities.

The document explains the greenhouse effect and the role of human activities in increasing radiative forcing, noting that global warming has reached approximately 1°C since pre-industrial times. It details the global emissions profile by sector and the projected risks associated with 1.5°C versus 2°C warming, emphasizing that the latter significantly increases risks to human health, food security, and biodiversity. The text outlines the evolution of international climate governance from the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). To limit warming to 1.5°C, the document argues for a transformative shift in the energy mix by 2050, including a drastic reduction in fossil fuel consumption and a move toward renewable energy and carbon dioxide removal technologies.

The Innovations for Resilience Convening, co-hosted by the Global Resilience Partnership, WFP, UNDP, and 1BC, focused on the role of technology and cross-sector partnerships in building community resilience. The report identifies key barriers to scaling innovations—such as rigid funding cycles and risk aversion—and showcases specific projects including satellite-based credit in the Horn of Africa, drone mapping in the Maldives, and hydroponics in Algeria. It emphasizes the need for 'disruptive change' and a 'fail fast' mindset to move from gradual development improvements to exponential growth in resilience.

Saint Lucia has implemented a 10-year National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, led by the Department of Sustainable Development, to build resilience against climate change. The plan identifies eight priority sectors for adaptation—Tourism, Water, Agriculture, Fisheries, Education, Health, Infrastructure & spatial planning, and Natural resource management—and utilizes Sectoral Adaptation Strategies & Action Plans (SASAPs) to implement measures. The process includes several supporting tools, such as a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Report and a Monitoring & Evaluation Plan. Observed and anticipated climate impacts for the country include tropical storms, high-intensity hurricanes, sea level rise, coral bleaching, and prolonged droughts.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is implementing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to mainstream climate adaptation into development planning and financing. The process, led by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology, identifies key climate hazards such as tropical storms, rising sea levels, and rainfall variability. Priority sectors for adaptation include agriculture, water, energy, tourism, and infrastructure. Between 2010 and 2014, extreme weather events caused losses exceeding 35 percent of the country's GDP.

The U.S. Climate Alliance, formed in June 2017, consists of 13 states and one territory committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025. This bipartisan effort is complemented by city-led initiatives like the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda and the 'We Are Still In' coalition, which includes businesses and universities. These subnational actors aim to maintain U.S. alignment with the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, despite the lack of federal mandate or funding.

Canada has ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, joining 40 other countries in committing to domestic strategies for tracking and reducing transboundary mercury pollution, including the management of emissions, point source releases, and contaminated site remediation. Research from the IISD-Experimental Lake Area indicates that reducing mercury inputs into lakes leads to a decrease in mercury levels in freshwater fish consumed by humans.

The document highlights the Paris Agreement as a foundation for coordinated global action, noting that it covers 98% of emissions compared to the 14% covered by the Kyoto Protocol. It specifies that national ambitions will increase every five years to close a 15-gigaton gap and mentions the goal of mobilizing 100 billion dollars annually for climate support, with a review scheduled from 2025 onwards.