Search Climate Insights Directory

The document argues that agroecology-aligned practices—such as agroforestry, intercropping, and legume rotation—enhance climate resilience by improving yields with fewer synthetic inputs, increasing biodiversity, and sequestering carbon. It highlights that combining multiple practices maximises benefits, which often increase over time, although outcomes remain highly context-specific. The paper also links these practices to improved farmer health by reducing pesticide exposure and suggests that agroforestry and soil carbon sequestration can significantly support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The report argues that decentralized election administration in the US has created a patchwork of transparency policies that can undermine democratic legitimacy and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. It provides specific recommendations for improving the accessibility and accuracy of voter files, the transparency of ballot processing and tracking, and the implementation of robust ballot curing and risk-limiting audit procedures.

The paper examines various theoretical frameworks for 'alternative media,' ranging from participatory and identity-focused approaches to 'critical' and 'radical' media that challenge corporate monopolies. It highlights the role of these media in empowering marginalized groups—including Indigenous peoples, women, and social movements—and discusses the transition from grassroots practice to formal policy reforms, particularly in Latin America, under the framework of communication rights.

The paper examines the conceptual links between Social License to Operate (SLO), originally from the extractive industry, and Social Acceptance (SA) within renewable energy literature. It argues that both frameworks address local opposition to infrastructure and offer similar recommendations for increasing acceptance by applying Energy Justice (EJ) principles.

The researchers developed metrics to improve the estimation of soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) in seasonal forests by analyzing the relationship between Rh and higher-level fluxes like total soil surface respiration (Rs) and whole ecosystem respiration (Re). Through a literature review and the use of two new datasets, the study found that land cover significantly influences the relative contribution of heterotrophic respiration to these fluxes. The authors conclude that the fractional coefficients used for these estimations should be derived from studies of similar ecosystems to account for variations between growing and dormant seasons.

The document identifies critical evidence gaps in the quantification and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from both sewer-based and non-sewered sanitation systems, arguing for the integration of climate-smart solutions in infrastructure design to align sanitation goals with climate action.

The report is part of a series of country studies commissioned by the African Climate Foundation and produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It examines Kenya's climate profile through scenario analysis, assesses the implications for key economic sectors and macroeconomic factors such as trade and fiscal health, reviews existing government adaptation measures, and provides strategic recommendations for mobilizing climate resilience funding.

The report examines Zambia's changing climate profile, the resulting implications for key economic sectors and macroeconomic stability, the effectiveness of existing government adaptation measures, and strategic recommendations for mobilizing climate resilience funding.

The report analyzes Malawi's climate profile, the resulting implications for key economic sectors and macroeconomic stability, and evaluates existing government adaptation measures to provide strategic recommendations for funding climate resilience.

The report argues that the effectiveness of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes depends on embedding deliberate learning—defined as the collective process of acquiring and applying knowledge to change attitudes and behaviors—rather than assuming learning happens automatically through monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It proposes a framework for fostering learning by integrating it across the planning, implementation, and MEL phases, strengthening enabling environments (such as leadership and institutional arrangements), and linking activities to concrete outcomes. A review of 45 NAP documents reveals that while 89% mention 'learning', most references are generic and high-level, with M&E being the primary identified source of learning. The report concludes with eight considerations for countries, emphasizing the need for clear learning directions, inclusion of marginalized groups, and dedicated resources from knowledge brokers.

The paper examines the current state and future potential of land-based mitigation technologies (LMTs) in China, noting that while forestry is well-integrated into policy, other sectors like agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands remain underexploited. It argues that land-based sequestration has not been prioritized as much as energy or industry and suggests that reaching net-zero by 2060 will require improved policy frameworks, standardized procedures, and enhanced technical capacity.

The report finds that while China has significant potential for land-based climate mitigation, efforts have historically focused on energy and industry, with forestry being the only land sector with comprehensive targets. Agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands remain underexploited, hampered by a lack of standardized methodologies and a prioritization of food security over carbon sequestration. The relaunch of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme in 2023 offers a potential funding mechanism, though it is currently limited to forestry.

The briefing discusses the gap between climate concern and action among Americans, identifying a lack of training and confidence as primary barriers. It highlights a framework for individual action across six domains—food, home energy, transport, shopping, influence, and citizenship—and argues that individual choices create ripple effects by normalizing low-carbon lifestyles, improving climate literacy, and sending market signals to businesses.

The authors argue that disaster risk reduction can be improved through a re-politicized approach to co-production. They propose three specific principles: ensuring knowledge plurality, surfacing the norms and assumptions inherent in knowledge production, and taking actions that address existing sociopolitical and knowledge structures.

The study identifies US$3.2 billion in energy development finance for five Western Balkan countries between 2008 and 2020, noting that approximately one-third of disbursed funds supported non-renewable energy sources. While disbursement ratios exceeded the global average, the total funding remained insufficient, ranging from 0.15% to 0.62% of the average GDP for the analyzed countries. The research found no established link between the 2016 Paris Agreement and an increase in finance flows for renewable energy projects.

New England's energy transition requires a massive shift from fossil fuel reliance to a decarbonized grid, with peak electricity demand projected to double to 55 GW by 2050. The report argues for a 'clean energy portfolio approach' combining solar, offshore wind, energy storage, and interregional transmission to ensure reliability and affordability. It highlights significant sociopolitical barriers, including community opposition and outdated permitting processes, and recommends comprehensive state-level reforms and proactive community engagement to accelerate deployment.

The report evaluates the technical feasibility of drilling superhot rock (SHR) geothermal wells—defined as depths >5 km and temperatures >374°C. It concludes that while the necessary technologies exist or are emerging, significant gaps remain in rate of penetration (ROP) for hard rock, high-temperature electronic tool durability, and temperature management. The analysis categorizes rock-destroying equipment into conventional rotary, hybrid, and direct energy methods, assigning Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) to each. It emphasizes that the primary barrier to progress is a lack of access to SHR conditions in both laboratory and field settings, which prevents the iterative testing needed to reduce costs and risks.

The report argues that climate resilience requires innovation in complex systems, which inherently involves failure. However, a prevailing culture of failure-aversion—driven by rigid funding structures, short-term metrics, and power imbalances—stifles this innovation. The authors propose a multi-dimensional model to shift responses to failure from limiting to constructive across individual, operational, and organisational levels.

The document advocates for a shift from traditional gender mainstreaming to Gender Transformative Approaches (GTAs) in Southern Africa to address the root causes of inequality and improve resilience to climate change and food insecurity. It provides a series of policy recommendations, including the integration of GTAs into national development plans and disaster risk reduction strategies, and highlights existing legal frameworks at global, continental, and regional levels that can enable these shifts.

The report analyzes the fragmented ecosystem of AI audits, distinguishing between organizational conformity assessments and academic performance evaluations. It details the roles of internal, external, and community auditors, the methodologies used—such as input variation and benchmarking—and the current state of enforceable regulations in the US, Canada, EU, UK, and China. The document argues for a more diverse, trustworthy audit ecosystem with better data access and a focus on global impacts, including environmental and labor concerns, to move beyond 'null compliance'.