Search Climate Insights Directory

This concept note from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and FAPESP, submitted to the Belmont Forum Plenary, proposes a transdisciplinary and participatory initiative to address urgent threats to the Amazon region. The proposal emphasizes the link between biodiversity loss, climate change, and human health, while advocating for the protection of indigenous knowledge and the implementation of environmental governance frameworks.

The report 'Chilling Prospects 2022' examines the rising global demand for cooling services driven by temperature increases and economic growth, highlighting the environmental risks and the potential for climate-friendly cooling to reduce global emissions.

A letter from health organizations representing over 700,000 Canadian health professionals urging the federal government to implement restrictions on fossil fuel advertising and marketing to address a public health crisis.

This report analyzes the socio-environmental impacts of logistics infrastructure in the Legal Amazon, Brazil, noting that such projects often drive deforestation and carbon emissions while providing limited local benefit. It proposes replacing inconsistent geographic-based 'area of influence' delimitations with a 'market access approach' based on transportation costs and market size. Using the BR-319 highway as a case study, the report demonstrates how this approach identifies a much larger area of risk, including numerous indigenous territories and conservation units, and recommends that the Ministry of Infrastructure integrate these assessments into the earliest stages of project planning.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) established a policy on gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in June 2022 to integrate these considerations into its scientific projects and capacity-building activities. The policy aims to increase the participation of underrepresented groups—including women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals—to improve the quality of regional science and public policy regarding global change.

The Financial and Administrative Committee (FAC) report, drafted by the United States as Chair, provides an evaluation of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) financial status and its 2022-2023 Operating Budget.

This report details the activities of the Executive Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) during the 2021-2022 intersessional period. It outlines achievements in scientific research, capacity building, and science-policy communication, specifically focusing on climate change, health, and transdisciplinary research in the Americas.

This policy brief argues that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) cannot reach its full potential without a unified industrial policy to address systemic supply-side constraints. The author contends that the current landscape of overlapping national, regional, and continental policies creates coordination failures and proposes a consolidated strategy focusing on pooled infrastructure resources, regional product specialisation, SME growth, clean energy, and indigenous technology.

This executive summary, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in May 2022, evaluates the progress made 50 years after the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment. It argues that while knowledge and goals have increased, an 'action gap' persists, with only about one-tenth of global environmental targets achieved. The document proposes three systemic shifts—redefining the human-nature relationship, ensuring lasting prosperity for all, and investing in a sustainable future—alongside improvements in global governance to unlock transformative change.

This briefing from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents the operating budget and country contribution requests for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, along with preliminary budget requests for 2023-2025.

This report, authored by early-career researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), presents a youth-led vision for a healthy planet by 2030. Based on a survey of 1,050 young people across 89 countries, the document advocates for systemic change, the replacement of economic growth with community-focused metrics of prosperity, and the formal integration of youth into political and economic decision-making processes.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental and community organisations, has requested the urgent intervention of the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) regarding the environmental authorisation of the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) project. The CER argues that the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) is not the lawful competent authority due to a conflict of interest and that the project's scale and transboundary implications require national-level oversight under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) issued a statement welcoming a CAD 25 million allocation from the Government of Canada in the 2022 Federal Budget to support the IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA).

This policy brief provides a governance-focused overview of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) addresses the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development. It details the various institutional bodies, negotiating processes, and recent member-led initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable trade.

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) discusses the necessity of coordinating conservation efforts across large landscapes and multiple jurisdictions to maximize environmental benefits and support species adaptation to climate change.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) issued a statement condemning Russia's February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the resulting humanitarian crisis and the potential for the conflict to disrupt global energy and food systems and divert resources from addressing climate change.

This report by Cenfri and FSD Africa analyzes how insurance regulators across 31 sub-Saharan African countries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes a four-phase regulatory response framework—Identify, Determine/Implement, Monitor, and Adapt—to help supervisors manage future systemic risks such as climate change and cyber-security threats.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting for groundWork, has requested an extension of the time period to institute judicial review proceedings against the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's decision to grant an Environmental Authorisation Amendment for Richards Bay Gas Power (Pty) Ltd.

This report synthesises findings from the Network for Innovative Resilience-Building in South Sudan to identify more effective approaches to peacebuilding and resilience. It argues that durable peace requires a shift from short-term 'quick-fix' activities to long-term, locally-led processes that integrate livelihood support and address the gendered dimensions of food insecurity.

This fact sheet describes a legal challenge filed at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) by four civil society organizations against the governments of Uganda, Tanzania, and the Secretary General of the East African Community. The applicants seek to stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, arguing that it violates multiple regional and international treaties regarding environmental protection, human rights, and sustainable development.