Search Climate Insights Directory

The Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly identifies coastal erosion, flash floods, windstorms, erratic rainfall, droughts, and heat waves as its main climate hazards. Key sensitive sectors include agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, tourism, and water/health. Proposed adaptation measures focus on coastal protection, enforcing building codes and mining laws, nature-based solutions like mangrove planting, and improving early warning systems and irrigation.

The document identifies high interest rates, information asymmetry, and legislative contradictions as primary obstacles to agricultural finance in Malawi. It argues that risk perceptions among commercial banks and a lack of formal identification for rural farmers create a 'market for lemons' failure. Proposed solutions include the adoption of mobile money, the creation of a national ID system, and the use of the Personal Property Security Act to allow movable assets as collateral.

The report examines how water resources in Senegal intersect with poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While progress has been made in urban water supply, rural sanitation remains a challenge. The study highlights a heavy reliance on groundwater, the role of the Senegal River Basin in food security, and the vulnerability of coastal zones to sea-level rise. It argues for a more holistic Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) approach that includes rainwater harvesting and better local community participation to ensure sustainable development.

The document examines Tanzania's water-poverty nexus, highlighting a significant 'implementation gap' where progressive policies on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and decentralization are hindered by limited institutional and financial capacity. It emphasizes the critical role of rainfed agriculture, which supports the majority of the poor, and the need to integrate 'green water' flows into management strategies. The report also notes severe challenges in sanitation coverage and the conflict between hydropower and irrigation needs in major river basins.

The project focuses on the Akagera Basin in Rwanda, addressing the increasing competition for water, energy, and food resources driven by population growth and economic transformation. By utilizing the Stockholm Environment Institute's WEAP and LEAP modelling tools, the initiative aims to identify sustainable development pathways and avoid sector-based plan incompatibilities. Key goals include producing 25 technical reports and policy briefs, engaging over 2,000 stakeholders, and supporting over 15 Nature Based Community Enterprises (NBCEs) to enhance climate resilience in the districts of Bugesera, Kirehe, Ngororero, and Rutsiro.

The Master Plan for the Pampa Huari River Basin (PDC-PH) provides a comprehensive strategy to address water scarcity, pollution from mining and urban waste, and land degradation in a semi-arid region of Potosí, Bolivia. Developed under the Bolivia WATCH program using a Robust Decision Making (RDM) framework, the plan integrates water supply (WASH) with basin-wide hydrology. Key findings highlight critical water quality issues, with several rivers classified as 'Class E' (unsuitable for human consumption) due to mining and urban sewage. The plan prioritizes three micro-basins—Kari Kari, Santa Lucia, and Villacollo—for environmental restoration and proposes five strategic lines focusing on ecosystem protection, sustainable water and sanitation, efficient agricultural irrigation, mining impact mitigation, and inter-institutional governance.

The document identifies critical resource competitions in Zambia, particularly between hydropower and irrigated agriculture for water use during the dry season. It highlights a significant gap in cross-sector strategic planning and recommends integrated quantitative assessments to align conflicting sectoral targets as the country pursues its 2030 economic goals.

The report examines the energy-agriculture nexus in Africa, focusing on five case study countries: Cameroon, Mali, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It develops three primary scenarios—Reference, Moderate Improvement, and Accelerated Growth—to project energy needs for on-farm activities, crop processing, and transport. The analysis highlights that while high-input mechanized farming significantly increases commercial energy intensity, food security gains in some contexts, such as Sudan, can be achieved without proportional increases in energy consumption. The document also explores the role of agro-industries and the potential for energy efficiency improvements in irrigation and crop curing.

The report argues that water must be framed not just as a sector but as a cross-cutting enabler of social development, economic growth, and environmental integrity. It proposes a 'cross-cluster framework' that integrates three perspectives: water as a sector, an enabler, and a supporter. The authors estimate that implementing water-related SDGs would require annual global investments between US$1.25 and 2.25 trillion over 20 years, representing 1.8% to 2.5% of global GDP. Key challenges identified include systemic corruption in the water sector, a critical lack of operation and maintenance funding, and the need for a paradigm shift from donor-led to multi-stakeholder governance.

The World Resources Institute developed a baseline water risk model for Ethiopia using 2015 data to help decision-makers incorporate water-related climate risk into sectoral planning. The model utilizes geospatially-explicit estimates for irrigation, livestock, domestic, and industrial water use, combined with 36 years of remotely-sensed renewable water resources data. It generates four key indicators: baseline water stress, months of water scarcity, seasonal variability, and interannual variability. The model is intended for national-level scenario analysis and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal target 6.4.2, though it excludes water storage infrastructure, environmental flow requirements, and transboundary water obligations.

The document details the technical framework of Aqueduct's future projections, which utilize the HYPFLOWSCI6 dataset and five General Circulation Models (GCMs) to estimate water supply, use, stress, depletion, and variability. It describes three socioeconomic and climate scenarios (SSP1-RCP2.6, SSP3-RCP7.0, and SSP5-RCP8.5) with temperature projections ranging from 1.3°C to 5.7°C by 2100. The guide emphasizes that these scenarios represent different development pathways rather than simple best- or worst-case outcomes, noting that higher economic activity in optimistic scenarios can actually increase water stress. Technical processing includes spatial aggregation at the HydroBASINS Level 6 sub-basin level and temporal aggregation using 10-year trailing moving averages for the years 2030, 2050, and 2080. Limitations are noted regarding irrigation data (projected only to 2050) and livestock water demand (held constant after 2014).

The document details the critical state of global freshwater resources, noting that less than 1% of Earth's water is accessible for human use. It highlights how climate change, inefficient agricultural irrigation—which consumes 70% of freshwater—and urban demand exacerbate water stress, affecting over 2 billion people. WWF's interventions are highlighted in the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, the Indus River basin, the Pantanal, and various urban centers across Asia and North America, focusing on nature-based solutions, sustainable farming, and habitat restoration.

Groundwater constitutes nearly all of the world's liquid freshwater and is essential for drinking water, agriculture, and maintaining river flows. In the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin, groundwater is critically overdrawn and endangered by climate change and population growth, leading to initiatives like WWF-Mexico's nature-based aquifer recharge projects.

Groundwater is the most abundant freshwater source, supporting 40% of irrigated crop production and over 25% of the global population's drinking water. However, it is being consumed at unsustainable rates, with 20% of river basins currently overdrafted and over 50% at risk by 2050. Over-extraction leads to saltwater intrusion, dried-up wells, and land subsidence. Sustainable management requires measuring extraction, setting volumetric caps, and implementing natural or managed recharge solutions, as demonstrated by the Edwards Aquifer in Texas.

Between 2010 and 2017, USAID-funded projects in Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) provided livelihood benefits to all 1,257 households in the region. Key interventions included adaptive irrigation, which increased annual agricultural revenue by over USD 400,000, and greenhouse farming, which increased annual incomes by USD 18,000 for 199 households. Additionally, 34% of households adopted improved cookstoves, saving over 280 truckloads of firewood annually, and 50% of the population benefited from improved pasture management.

The report highlights that over one-quarter of global irrigated food production relies on unsustainable groundwater extraction, leading to land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and ecological damage. It proposes four key strategies for sustainable management: measuring and managing data, setting sustainable extraction limits, enhancing recharge through managed and nature-based solutions, and reducing demand through crop shifting or fallowing. The authors emphasize that strong water governance and local partnerships are essential to implement these technical solutions effectively.

The document outlines WWF South Africa's strategy to address the historical over-emphasis on surface water by integrating groundwater management into its freshwater initiatives. It assesses current groundwater activities across several Strategic Water Source Areas, identifies gaps in institutional knowledge and governance, and proposes a roadmap for future action. This includes conducting baseline studies, enhancing stakeholder engagement with commercial farmers and corporate partners, and defining WWF's potential roles as a secretariat, implementer, or convener within water partnerships.

The document outlines a water stewardship project in the Western Cape's Breede catchment, involving nine volunteer stone-fruit farmers. It details the application of the AWS standard to manage physical, social, regulatory, and reputational water risks. Case studies demonstrate practical improvements in irrigation technology, fertiliser reduction, and infrastructure security. The guide also identifies broader catchment-level risks, such as urban sanitation and alien invasive plants, and suggests expanding water stewardship to other sectors like forestry and mining in South Africa.

A 2020/21 WWF study identifies significant faecal contamination in the Crocodile and Sabie Rivers, where E. coli levels frequently exceed safety guidelines for irrigation. This pollution, caused by failing wastewater infrastructure and poor sanitation, poses severe health risks, particularly for subsistence farmers growing high-risk crops like leafy greens. The document recommends a combination of improved governance, targeted farming techniques, and a community-private-public partnership to manage water quality and ensure food safety.