Search Climate Insights Directory

The research examines three Indigenous matrilineal communities—the Wayuu in Colombia, the Bribri in Costa Rica, and the Guna in Panama—to identify risks to women's land tenure resulting from climate actions. It finds that women face potential loss of land entitlements, disruption of livelihoods, and erosion of matrilineal culture, largely due to inadequate consultation processes and a failure to account for traditional gendered tenure systems. The paper argues that climate actions, such as wind park development, REDD+ negotiations, and climate-induced relocation, risk eroding customary rights and social support systems when they ignore differential tenure systems and power asymmetries.

The document highlights the critical dependence of India's thermal power sector on freshwater, noting that 90% of plants rely on it for cooling. It identifies a significant correlation between water stress and reduced plant utilization, while documenting a 43% increase in freshwater consumption between 2011 and 2016. The analysis warns that 70% of thermal plants will face increased water competition by 2030 and notes that water-related shutdowns cost the 20 largest utility companies over INR 91 billion between 2013 and 2016. It suggests that implementing cooling mandates and aggressive renewable targets could reduce freshwater withdrawals by 12.4 billion cubic meters.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone when biophysical effects are included. These effects—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—regulate local temperatures and regional rainfall. Deforestation disrupts these processes, leading to decreased crop yields (e.g., a 12% drop in soy productivity in Brazil) and increased heat stress for workers. The authors urge companies and investors to move beyond reputational goals and address these material risks through jurisdictional collaboration, improved spatial analysis, and stricter financial disclosures.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone due to biophysical processes like albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. These non-carbon effects cause local temperature spikes and regional rainfall disruptions, leading to direct productivity losses in commodities such as soy and impacting worker safety through heat stress. It calls on companies and financial institutions to move beyond reputational risk management and address these material operational risks through jurisdictional cooperation, improved spatial research, and stricter portfolio alignment.

The document reports that over 60% of the world's coral reefs are currently threatened by local human activities, with projections suggesting this could rise to nearly 100% by 2050 if left unchecked. It identifies key local stressors as overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal development, and pollution, alongside global threats like coral bleaching and ocean acidification caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The text emphasizes that countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tanzania, and Haiti are very highly vulnerable to reef loss due to high dependence on reef services and low adaptive capacity.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) analysis reveals that a significant portion of the world's shale resources are located in water-stressed or arid regions, posing risks to energy development and local water security. The report highlights that 38% of shale resources are in areas of high water stress or aridity, and 386 million people live above these plays. It provides specific assessments for 11 countries and recommends that companies and governments implement water risk assessments, increase transparency, and adopt corporate water stewardship to mitigate conflicts with other water users, particularly in irrigated agriculture.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone suggest due to biophysical processes like albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. These non-carbon effects cause immediate local and regional climate disruptions, such as increased temperature extremes and erratic rainfall, which directly threaten crop yields and worker productivity. For example, deforestation in Brazil is linked to a 12% loss in soy productivity, and Amazonian deforestation is plausibly linked to a 2017 drought in Argentina costing the economy approximately $4.6 billion. The authors argue that while many companies have made deforestation-free commitments to manage reputational risks, they often overlook these material operational risks. To mitigate these, the report recommends that companies and investors increase coordination through coalitions, leverage nature-related financial disclosures, and engage in jurisdictional-scale conservation efforts that extend beyond their own direct supply chains.

The African sulcata tortoise is an endangered species subject to poaching and illegal trade, posing a moderate risk for pet ownership. Prospective owners must ensure animals are sourced from reputable captive breeders and provide specialized care, including high-fiber diets and specific temperature and UV light requirements, for an animal that can live over 80 years and weigh up to 120 lbs.

The ring-tailed lemur is classified as an unsuitable pet due to its endangered status, the illegality of its trade and ownership in many jurisdictions, and the risk of zoonotic diseases. The document highlights that the species' complex social, nutritional, and environmental needs cannot be met in domestic settings, and that the pet trade fuels illegal poaching of wild populations in Madagascar.

The document describes the increasing scale and intensity of wildfires, driven by climate change and historical fire suppression practices, particularly in the United States. It highlights how fires release significant carbon stores, including 'legacy carbon', and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. To mitigate these risks, the author advocates for a combination of 100% clean energy transition, prescribed burns, fire-resistant construction, and equitable community engagement in land-use planning.

The document outlines why primates are unsuitable as pets, noting that 94% of primate species are experiencing population declines and 69% are threatened with extinction. It highlights risks such as the spread of diseases like herpes B virus and monkeypox, as well as the ecological threat of invasive species, specifically citing established breeding populations of rhesus macaques and vervet monkeys in Florida. The text criticizes the current 'patchwork of regulation' in the US and urges support for the Captive Primate Safety Act to prohibit private possession and interstate commerce of primates.

The red-tailed boa is classified as an unsuitable pet due to high risks regarding human health, invasiveness, and the complexity of its care requirements. The document highlights the species' potential to harm humans through bites and constriction, the risk of salmonella, and its status as an invasive species in Florida, noting that climate change could expand its invasive range. Legal ownership varies by jurisdiction, and the animal's significant size and specific environmental needs—including temperature gradients and humidity—require specialized knowledge.

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project, implemented by WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with the government, addresses Pakistan's vulnerability to climate-induced floods and droughts. The project focuses on the Sindh province, specifically in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, and the districts of Sindh, employing a mix of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and grey infrastructure. Key interventions include restoring floodplains, constructing flood-protection embankments, and implementing climate-resilient agriculture. The framework emphasizes social safeguards, including the 'Free, Prior and Informed Consent' (FPIC) of tribal communities and the use of a grievance redress mechanism to manage conflicts over land and resource use.

The Resilient Bold Belize project, a public-private partnership led by the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence Unit, focuses on improving the management of 34 coastal and marine protected areas to enhance fisheries and nature-based tourism. The ESMF identifies critical risks, including the potential for economic displacement of fisherfolk due to access restrictions and the need to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically the Garinagu and Maya. To mitigate these, the project implements a Process Framework for livelihood restoration, an Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework requiring Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and a multi-level Grievance Redress Mechanism.

The ESMF provides a structured approach to managing the risks associated with a project designed to integrate a national human-wildlife conflict (HWC) strategy into Gabon's Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) mechanism. The project targets four national parks—Loango, Mayumba, Minkébé, and Monts de Cristal—to improve coexistence between humans and wildlife, specifically addressing crop-raiding by elephants. Because the project involves Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), the framework mandates Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), the development of site-specific Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPPs), and Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) if resource access is restricted. It also outlines a multi-tiered grievance redress mechanism and specific mitigation measures for gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH).

The document argues that the massive investments required to address the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation create new corruption risks. It highlights a 2020 study from Bangladesh where 35% of climate adaptation funds were embezzled. To counter this, it recommends a three-step approach: understanding corruption's impact, assessing specific programming risks, and adapting strategies through inclusive nature-based solutions, increased transparency in carbon markets and climate finance, and the detection of illicit financial flows.

The document asserts that Arctic offshore drilling is too risky due to extreme conditions and a total lack of emergency response infrastructure on the U.S. Arctic coast. It highlights that the U.S. government estimates a 75% chance of major oil spills in the Chukchi Sea, while noting that no proven technology exists to clean up oil in the Arctic marine environment. Furthermore, it argues that leaving these hydrocarbons under the seafloor is essential for the U.S. to meet its international climate commitment of limiting temperature rise to 2°C.

The document outlines the framework for managing environmental and social safeguards for a project focused on the financial sustainability of Peru's National System of Protected Natural Areas (SINANPE) in the Amazon. It identifies potential risks to natural habitats, indigenous peoples, and resource access, proposing mitigation measures such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (EIAS).

The ESMF and PF provide a structured approach to managing the environmental and social impacts of expanding seaweed aquaculture in Vietnam's Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces. The project, funded by the GEF and implemented by WWF, aims to create sustainable seaweed value chains while ensuring that site-specific risks—such as the entanglement of sea turtles, social tensions over resource access, and the marginalization of women—are mitigated through participatory planning and site-specific management plans.

The report highlights the 'black box' nature of the animal feed industry, where complex supply chains and proprietary formulations mask risks such as deforestation, human rights abuses, and high greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, WWF and Grieg Seafood developed an ESG screen for feed ingredients, initially tested on salmon aquaculture, to standardize data requests and enable 'apples-to-apples' risk comparisons. The tool aims to move the industry toward greater traceability and is intended for expansion into other animal protein sectors like swine and poultry.