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Since 1970, the Northeast has seen an average temperature increase of 2°F, leading to longer growing seasons and reduced snowpack. Future high-emissions scenarios project further warming, significant reductions in winter snow seasons, and increased frequency of extreme heat and flooding. These changes threaten the dairy and fruit industries, particularly cranberries, and risk substantial damage to coastal infrastructure in cities like New York and Boston. Additionally, the region's $7.6 billion winter recreation industry and specific fisheries, such as cod and lobster, face disruption due to warming waters and reduced snow cover.

The paper argues that while current climate services effectively support daily and seasonal farming decisions, they are underutilized for transformative adaptation—long-term, systemic changes to agricultural production. A review of 253 climate-related policy documents (NDCs, NAPs, and KJWA submissions) revealed that only 2.7% describe the use of climate services for transformative planning. To address this, the author suggests that CS must shift focus toward decadal and long-term projections (up to 2050), integrate non-agricultural data (such as economic and social factors), and be tailored to the needs of policymakers and funders to identify viability thresholds for existing systems. The paper emphasizes that high-quality, tailored CS are essential to prevent developing-country governments from falling behind and to mitigate widening climate-induced inequalities.

The report analyzes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Utilizing the World Resources Institute's Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT-US), it examines all six Kyoto GHGs across the regional economy to overcome inconsistencies in previous state-level inventories. The analysis covers regional, sectoral, and state levels, assessing major emission sources, trends, and socioeconomic drivers to inform stakeholders on the Midwest's role in global climate change.

The paper presents a wildfire prediction and loss assessment framework designed for the financial sector, using a case study of five crops in Yunnan Province. It finds that historical annual losses for these crops ranged from US$135.8 million to $254.8 million between 2011 and 2020, with extreme events causing 15 to 30 percent of annual losses. Future projections indicate a shift in the peak Fire Weather Index (FWI) from March/April to February/March, with the SSP2-45 scenario showing the highest mean FWI. The study notes that financial institutions in Yunnan lack the capacity to manage these risks, though insurance companies and banks show interest in integrating physical climate risk analysis for parametric insurance and credit risk management.

The report argues that small businesses are critical for climate adaptation in developing countries, as they provide nearly 60% of employment and are deeply embedded in vulnerable communities. It outlines a six-step framework for governments to engage these businesses and provides a menu of interventions, including climate risk information, technical assistance, and fiscal incentives. The document recommends that governments, large corporations, multilateral partners, and special climate funds collaborate to provide financing, knowledge transfer, and market access to micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to catalyze adaptation efforts.

The report disputes claims that the Kyoto Protocol would lead to dire economic consequences for American farmers, finding that net cash returns would likely decrease by less than one percent due to the small share of energy costs in production expenses.

The Climate Watch Country Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data provides comprehensive, comparable GHG emissions data for 193 countries and the European Union from 1990 onwards, covering all GHG types and sectors including energy, industrial processes, agriculture, waste, and LULUCF. The dataset typically operates with a three-year reporting lag, such as reporting 2020 data in 2023, and aims to help countries identify mitigation opportunities and compare emission profiles.

The analysis of ninety-three intergovernmental initiatives reveals that while global participation appears broad, representation from the Global South is critically low in key sectors such as industry, transport, and buildings. The landscape is dominated by developed countries and the top ten emitters per sector, which limits Global South access to capacity-building and information sharing. While agriculture is the most inclusive sector, others like industry show severe gaps, with 73% of initiatives excluding Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The document describes eutrophication as a growing environmental crisis, noting that over 500 coastal areas are impacted and dead zones increased from 10 cases in 1960 to 405 in 2008. It attributes this trend to human activities, specifically wastewater, agriculture, and nitrogen deposition from fossil fuel combustion. The brief predicts that eutrophication will continue to increase, particularly in the developing world, driven by a projected population of 9.2 billion by 2050, a 54 percent expected increase in global meat consumption between 2002 and 2030, and a 50 percent projected growth in energy consumption from 2005 to 2030.

The document argues that U.S. agricultural producers can benefit from proposed climate policies provided they actively engage in the policy dialogue. It serves as the first of two Farm Bill Policy Notes aimed at identifying opportunities for the industry to participate in climate discussions during a period of high public awareness of climate change.

The report examines material flow trends in the United States across the metal and minerals, nonrenewable organic materials (including fossil fuels), agriculture, and forestry sectors. It argues that while the U.S. possesses high-quality economic data on productivity and employment, conventional economic accounts fail to provide sufficient information regarding the long-term societal costs of environmental degradation. Consequently, the document proposes policy alternatives for the U.S. government to better integrate material flow accounts into decision-making.

Since the late 1950s, the United States has experienced an increase in heavy precipitation driven by human-caused climate change, which allows the atmosphere to hold more moisture. These events, exacerbated by aging infrastructure and non-permeable land surfaces, increase the risk of urban and flash floods, damage agriculture through soil erosion and crop loss, and disrupt transportation systems.

The document argues that transformative changes in agriculture are essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. It advocates for countries to develop customized strategies for their NDCs to address food security risks, reduce emissions, and build resilience, noting that climate impacts on food production and employment are expected to worsen by 2030.

The document defines transformative adaptation in agriculture as intentional responses that fundamentally alter production systems, locations, or technologies. It argues that while incremental adaptation is often preferable, severe climate impacts will increasingly necessitate transformative shifts to avoid maladaptation and conflict. The paper proposes the use of 'transformative pathways'—coordinated sequences of short- and medium-term actions—and 'decision windows' based on climate projections and crop models to signal when systemic change is required. It calls for governments to integrate these considerations into national adaptation plans (NAPs) and for international bodies, including the UNFCCC, FAO, UNDP, and UNEP, to align their guidelines and funding to support these systemic transitions, emphasizing that such processes must be inclusive and gender-responsive to prevent inequitable outcomes.

The document argues that while climate action has the potential to reduce social inequalities, these opportunities are currently untapped. It emphasizes that lower-income and disadvantaged populations face the highest barriers to accessing clean solutions and are disproportionately burdened by the costs of climate policies. To achieve a just transition, the paper suggests moving beyond social co-benefits toward the proactive empowerment of underserved groups.

The paper analyzes two case studies from Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand to demonstrate how climate adaptation can be 'mainstreamed' into the day-to-day operations, budgets, and programs of state-level sectoral departments. It argues that programmatic mainstreaming—integrating adaptation into existing departmental budgets—is more financially sustainable than time-bound, project-specific interventions. Key enablers identified include the use of sectoral funds for climate-resilient alternatives, the role of State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) in providing early-stage guidance, and the complementary influence of political and administrative leadership. The document also emphasizes the necessity of building institutional memory and maintaining cross-sectoral coordination to manage climate risks effectively.

Degraded lands comprise over 20 percent of forest and agricultural lands in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 300 million hectares of forests degraded and 350 million hectares deforested. The document identifies land degradation as a major driver of regional greenhouse gas emissions and suggests landscape restoration as a solution to pressures from the growing agriculture and forestry sectors.

The document argues that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C and seeks to provide CVF member countries with sectoral options for enhancing their NDCs. It focuses on energy, transport, forestry, food, and agriculture to drive a low-carbon, climate-resilient pathway that aligns with sustainable development goals.

The report warns that increasing global demand for land-based products is underappreciated in current climate strategies, potentially leading to policies that increase emissions. It projects significant land conversion by 2050 and advocates for a strategy of producing more on existing land, protecting ecosystems, reducing demand for land-intensive products, and restoring native habitats.

The document outlines a method for generating probability models of complex climate hazard indicators by selecting and calibrating downscaled global climate models. These local estimates are intended to support long-term planning for government, the private sector, and civil society across various domains including agriculture and disaster mitigation.