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The report identifies Tanzania's high vulnerability to climate change, particularly in agriculture and coastal zones, and assesses the capacity of its universities to support climate compatible development (CCD). It highlights significant gaps in baseline data, specialized technical skills, and institutional coordination, while noting the potential for interdisciplinary research and the need for curriculum innovation to integrate CCD into higher education.

The report identifies Zambia's high vulnerability to climate change, specifically in agriculture and water security, and assesses the role of higher education institutions in addressing these challenges. It highlights significant gaps in climate modelling, carbon marketing, and the integration of CCD into national curricula, while identifying strengths in solar energy research and disaster management training.

The document explains the various safeguard frameworks governing REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), specifically those from the UNFCCC, UN-REDD, REDD+ SES, and the World Bank's FCPF. It highlights the risks of displacement and loss of land rights, the importance of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the challenges of translating international guidelines into binding national policies. It provides practical guidance for communities to engage in national safeguard development and advocate for their rights.

The document provides an educational overview of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), detailing its three-phase implementation process and the technical challenges of establishing reference levels for carbon emissions. It contrasts market-based financing (carbon credits) with fund-based approaches, highlighting concerns that carbon offsets may allow developed nations to avoid reducing their own emissions. The guide emphasizes significant risks to indigenous communities, including forced eviction due to land tenure insecurity and the potential for corruption in fund distribution. It evaluates the safeguards of the UN-REDD and World Bank programs, noting that while UN-REDD has stronger theoretical protections, practical implementation remains a concern, as evidenced by a case study in Vietnam where free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) was found to be deficient.

The document defines Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to help communities adapt to climate change, positioning it as a cost-effective, 'no-regrets' alternative or complement to traditional infrastructure. While international organizations like the UNFCCC, UNEP, and the World Bank have begun integrating EbA, the author argues it remains under-utilized by national governments due to gaps in technical information, limited on-the-ground effectiveness data, and a preference for short-term 'hard' engineering solutions. The brief recommends increased research into ecosystem service complexities and stronger financial commitments to mainstream EbA into global policy.

The document argues that scaling out community-based adaptation (CBA) requires moving beyond isolated pilots to a systemic approach that integrates adaptive capacity, strategic partnerships, and documented evidence. It identifies four key enabling factors: building comprehensive adaptive capacity (assets, institutions, knowledge, innovation, and decision-making), leveraging diverse networks including the private sector, producing rigorous cost-benefit evidence, and utilizing flexible institutional and finance mechanisms. Case studies from Niger, Colombia, Zambia, and Bangladesh illustrate different pathways to scale, ranging from informal farmer networks and municipal government planning to commercial contract farming and international research platforms.

The document outlines the financial requirements for Kenya's transition to a low-carbon economy, estimating that Ksh 1,085 billion is needed for the 2013-2017 National Climate Change Action Plan. It identifies key barriers to private investment, such as arduous project development processes, and suggests improvements including the implementation of the draft Climate Change Bill 2014. While Kenya has a strong track record in renewable energy investment and voluntary carbon markets, the briefing warns that compliance carbon markets are currently limited by oversupply and lack of access to the EU-ETS. It lists several domestic and international funding mechanisms available to Kenyan businesses for clean technology and energy efficiency.

The International Conservation Budget 2014 details U.S. government initiatives to protect global biodiversity and natural resources. It highlights the strategic link between conservation and national security, noting how resource scarcity and illegal wildlife trafficking fuel instability and terrorism. The report outlines funding and activities across agencies including USAID, the Department of the Treasury (via the Global Environment Facility and Tropical Forest Conservation Act), the Department of State, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Key efforts include combating wildlife trafficking, managing transboundary landscapes through the SCAPES program, and implementing REDD+ initiatives in Mexico and the Amazon. The document emphasizes the role of public-private partnerships and community-based natural resource management in achieving sustainable development and protecting critical ecosystems across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

JA! / Friends of the Earth Mozambique reports a decline in civil society space and an increase in human rights violations in 2013. The organization highlights ongoing struggles against land-grabbing by ProSavana and Wambao agriculture, the displacement of communities due to coal mining in Tete province, and opposition to REDD projects in Africa. The statement also denounces the government's crackdown on press freedom and critical opinion, specifically citing the criminal proceedings against academic Carlos Nuno Castel-Branco and media outlets Canal de Moçambique and Mediafax.

Amigos da Terra Mozambique / JA! reports a deterioration of human rights and civil liberties in Mozambique throughout 2013, highlighting land grabbing, environmental destruction, and government repression of dissent. The organization details its opposition to specific projects like ProSavana and REDD, while calling for social and environmental justice and the protection of freedom of expression.

The document translates the global findings of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report into a regional context for South Asia, detailing observed warming, projected risks to food and water security, and the potential for low-carbon development. It emphasizes that while further warming is inevitable, integrated adaptation and mitigation can protect development gains and offer economic opportunities.

The SB 40 conference in Bonn saw limited progress on reforming Kyoto Protocol mechanisms and defining a framework for various mitigation approaches, though 60 nations agreed to phase out fossil fuels by mid-century. Negotiations on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) were largely postponed to future sessions in Lima, while discussions continued on including land-use sectors in the CDM and the role of local stakeholder consultation.

The workshop brought together 60 participants from India and Nepal to evaluate the shortcomings of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and explore the potential of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). Participants emphasized the need to integrate human rights and robust safeguards into the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the Indian national policy framework. Key outcomes included the agreement to form a civil society working group to coordinate demands for the Indian government and the decision to write an open letter to Prime Minister Modi ahead of COP 20.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) opposes the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) system, whether market-based or publicly funded. FoEI argues that REDD treats forests as mere carbon stocks, which ignores their social and cultural value and creates perverse incentives for deforestation. The document highlights risks such as the criminalization of traditional forest management, the displacement of communities, and the failure of carbon offsets to permanently reduce emissions. Instead of financial incentives, FoEI proposes strengthening the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, supporting collective forest management, and demanding that industrialized nations reduce fossil fuel emissions without relying on offsets.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) argues that REDD schemes, whether market-based or publicly funded, fail to address the root causes of climate change and risk harming the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. FoEI contends that REDD commodifies forests, reduces them to 'carbon stocks', and creates perverse incentives for deforestation while enabling industrialized nations to avoid direct emission reductions through offsets. The organization advocates for the recognition of communal land rights and the empowerment of forest-dependent populations as the only effective means of forest conservation.

The document analyzes the slowdown of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, noting that while overall rates dropped by 83% from 2004 to 2012, progress has stalled. It argues that previous command-and-control measures were more effective for large landowners than for smallholders or those in remote areas. The brief recommends shifting toward incentive-based policies, adopting higher-resolution monitoring technology, and tailoring interventions to specific actor types to achieve Brazil's 2020 deforestation goals.

The document analyzes the effectiveness of Brazil's anti-deforestation policies in the Amazon, noting that while an 83% reduction in annual deforestation was achieved between 2004 and 2012, progress has since stagnated. It argues that previous 'command and control' measures primarily targeted large landowners and critical frontiers, leaving smallholders and remote areas less addressed. The authors recommend shifting toward incentive-based policies for small farmers, adopting high-resolution radar monitoring to detect smaller clearings, and focusing on forest degradation rather than just total forest cover.

The document outlines the ROAM framework, which combines stakeholder engagement and data analysis to identify forest landscape restoration opportunities. It details a three-phase process: preparation and planning, data collection and analysis, and translating results into recommendations. The methodology employs tools for spatial mapping, economic valuation, carbon sequestration modelling, and institutional diagnostics to support national strategies and international commitments like the Bonn Challenge.

The document evaluates the outcomes of COP19 through a human rights lens, noting progress in establishing the Warsaw Mechanism for loss and damage and rules for REDD+ safeguards, while criticizing the lack of accountability in the Green Climate Fund and the postponement of Clean Development Mechanism reforms.

The COP19 analysis by Carbon Market Watch describes the conference as demoralizing due to the influence of corporate interests and the lowering of climate targets by countries like Japan. While the conference established a mechanism for loss and damage and made progress on REDD+ safeguards and funding, it failed to reach decisions on future carbon markets, the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA), or the New Market Mechanism (NMM). The document also notes that reforms to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) were largely postponed, though some guidance on stakeholder consultation for the CDM was improved.