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The guide outlines the relationship between climate change and four types of summer extreme weather. It notes that heat is the deadliest weather event, killing nearly 500,000 people annually since 2000 globally, and that fossil fuel pollution drives these heat waves. It explains that oceans absorb nearly 90% of Earth's excess heat, which supercharges hurricanes by increasing intensity, rain rates, and storm surges. Regarding flooding, the guide states that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to more frequent and intense heavy rainfall since the 1950s. Finally, it attributes the increasing threat and length of wildfire seasons to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns that make vegetation more flammable.

The document explains the distinction between weather and climate, the human-driven causes of global warming, and the resulting increase in extreme weather events. It highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized groups and outlines necessary solutions, including transitioning to renewable energy and improving resource efficiency.

The document explains the distinction between global warming and climate change, attributing current rapid warming to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation. It details the resulting increase in extreme weather events and highlights the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities and the Global South. The guide advocates for a transition to renewable energy, increased resource efficiency, and carbon removal to mitigate future disasters.

The document outlines the synergies between climate mitigation and public health, arguing that immediate action to reduce emissions provides significant health co-benefits across energy, transport, urban planning, and agriculture. It emphasises that climate change is a justice issue, noting that wealthy nations and individuals are the primary polluters while vulnerable populations suffer most. The briefing advocates for systemic transformations, such as shifting to plant-based diets, decarbonising energy systems, and implementing sustainable urban design, to avoid breaching the 1.5°C warming threshold and to improve global health outcomes.

The document outlines the accelerating degradation of the Earth's cryosphere and oceans due to climate change. It details the rapid loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the thawing of permafrost, and the warming, acidification, and deoxygenation of the global oceans. These changes drive sea level rise, threaten biodiversity, and disrupt essential services like freshwater supply from mountain glaciers and food security from fisheries. The briefing emphasizes that while some damage is irreversible, cutting emissions can reduce risks and facilitate adaptation for vulnerable coastal and indigenous populations.

The document describes neonicotinoids as systemic insecticides that spread through plant tissues and are linked to large-scale honey bee colony losses. It cites a Worldwide Integrated Assessment finding these pesticides toxic to most insects and capable of impairing bee learning and fertility. In Canada, specifically Ontario, significant winter colony losses were reported in 2013 and 2014, leading to provincial legislation to reduce neonic-treated seed planting by 80% by 2017. The European Union also implemented a two-year ban on agricultural neonic use starting in January 2013.

The document details how global average sea level has risen 8 inches since 1880, noting that the US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are hotspots due to ocean current changes and land subsidence. It highlights the accelerating role of land ice melt—which contributed 75 to 80 percent of the total increase between 2003 and 2007—and asserts that future sea level rise will be primarily driven by the loss of ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica.

The document highlights that the agriculture sector is exceptionally vulnerable to climate extremes due to its dependence on natural resources. It argues that disaster risk is increasing not only due to climate change but also because more vulnerable people and assets are exposed to these events. The brief advocates for a shift from short-term coping mechanisms to long-term transformational approaches, such as 'climate-smart agriculture', and emphasizes the need for integrated national disaster risk management systems that combine local knowledge with scientific data.

The document translates the IPCC SREX report's findings into actionable insights for the water sector, emphasizing that disaster risk is increasing due to both climate extremes and rising human vulnerability. It highlights the high confidence that climate changes will seriously affect water management systems and argues for a shift from incremental to transformational changes in governance and infrastructure. The brief advocates for 'low regrets' adaptation strategies and the integration of disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA) to build long-term resilience.

The IAI CRN program has established a broad network of scientists and institutions across the Americas and globally, leveraging over US$ 20.7 million in additional funds. The initiative has supported 429 students and produced a significant volume of refereed publications between 1999 and 2003. Specific project summaries highlight research on climate variability in Mesoamerica, water quality in the Andean Amazon, ENSO risk management, biodiversity in grasslands and forests, and the impacts of cattle ranching on deforestation in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador.

The report highlights that forests stabilize the climate through biophysical processes affecting energy and moisture transfers, which are currently undervalued in policy. It argues that accounting for these effects can increase the estimated global cooling benefit of avoiding tropical deforestation by up to 50% and warns that ignoring them leads to underestimated climate risks for health and agriculture.

The briefing explains how forests influence climate through non-carbon biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—and proposes six specific mechanisms for the UNFCCC to integrate these effects into national reporting, NDCs, REDD+, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and IPCC assessments.

The document explains that forests influence climate stability through four non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. It highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon accounting alone suggests and can increase local peak temperatures by over 7.6°C. The authors propose six specific actions for UNFCCC parties to integrate these effects into national GHG inventories, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), REDD+ financing, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report.

The document explains how 'Extreme Event Attribution' research determines the extent to which climate change makes specific weather events more likely or intense. It warns journalists against three common errors: ignoring climate change, attributing events without evidence, or naming it as the sole cause. The guide provides detailed scientific contexts for heatwaves, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy snowfall, droughts, and wildfires, noting that while some links (like heatwaves) are globally certain, others (like droughts or snowfall) are more complex and region-specific.

The document explains the methodology of 'extreme event attribution' to help journalists avoid common errors, such as ignoring climate change or attributing an event to it as a sole cause. It details how scientists use climate models to compare the modern world with a pre-industrial one to determine if an event was more likely or intense due to global warming. The guide provides specific scientific consensus and limitations for heatwaves, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy snowfall, droughts, and wildfires, emphasizing that while some connections are robust (e.g., heatwaves), others are more complex and depend on regional data and human vulnerability.

The document explains how 'attribution' studies determine if global warming increased the likelihood or intensity of a specific extreme weather event. It warns journalists against three common errors: ignoring climate change, claiming it caused an event without evidence, or treating it as the sole cause. The guide provides specific findings for heatwaves, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy snowfall, droughts, and wildfires, noting that while heatwaves are globally linked to warming, other phenomena like droughts and floods vary significantly by region.