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This progress report from the President of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) outlines the implementation of mandates from the 21st Conference of the Parties (CoP), the establishment of a Science-Policy Interface Advisory Committee, and the IAI's participation in international research consortia and climate conferences.

Since the 1960s, Ethiopia has seen mean annual temperature increases of 0.5-1.3°C and a decrease in cold nights. Precipitation trends from 1981-2000 show declining short rains (Feb-Apr) and slight increases in long rains (Jun-Aug) and late-year rains (Oct-Nov), potentially threatening food security. Additionally, flooding has become more common, with major events in 1997 and 2006.

This research paper describes a cross-sectional household survey conducted in summer 2011 to assess the factors driving heat vulnerability among slum dwellers in Ahmedabad, India. The study utilized randomized multistage cluster sampling and multivariate logistic regression to identify associations between vulnerability factors and self-reported heat illness.

This synthesis report describes a pilot application of the Adaptive Design and Policy Assessment Tool (ADAPTool) to evaluate mining policies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The analysis focused on the impact of climate change stressors—specifically increased drought, excessive moisture, and increased temperatures—across four mining phases: exploring and siting, development, operations, and closure and remediation.

This policy brief examines housing vulnerability to typhoons in Da Nang, Vietnam, highlighting how poor construction techniques and structural weaknesses in semi-permanent housing increase risk. It advocates for investigating the costs and benefits of alternative, resilient housing designs to reduce future risks as climate change intensifies storm events.

This report explores the economic impact of temperature on shelter in Pakistan's rapidly growing cities, focusing on the need for adaptive, resilient designs to mitigate the effects of temperature increases and other natural hazards.

This research paper examines how to improve the resilience of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems to hazards by analyzing risks at regional, urban, and individual levels and exploring the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs).

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) activity plan for July 2014 to June 2015 outlines a transition to a tripartite institutional structure, the monitoring of CRN3 projects, the conclusion of a MacArthur Foundation project on Andean biodiversity, and the IAI's leadership role in the Latin American network of Future Earth.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture. It compares the SDGs' universal and integrated approach to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), analyzes proposed targets from various UN-related entities, and identifies gaps in implementation strategies and systemic integration.

A statement by Jagoda Munic, President of Friends of the Earth International, reflecting on the devastating floods in the Balkans and the urgent need for a global shift away from fossil fuels and consumption-based economic models to combat climate change.

This synthesis report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development proposes a commodity-by-commodity framework to assess sustainability risks and vulnerabilities for importers, specifically focusing on China's global resource needs. The report argues that China's reliance on inward supply chains exposes it to systemic risks—including natural hazards, local conflict, and resource nationalism—which are currently managed in a tactical rather than strategic manner.

This briefing note outlines the challenges and opportunities in establishing monitoring and reporting systems for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It argues for a balance between using existing data and innovating new metrics, emphasizes the need to integrate indicators into the full policy cycle to ensure they are actually used for decision-making, and highlights the importance of cross-scale coordination between international bodies, national governments, and scientific communities.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the potential role of National Sustainable Development Councils (NCSDs) in designing and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on a survey of 12 countries, it examines existing national strategies, the challenges of monitoring progress, and the varying responsibilities of NCSDs in advising and implementing sustainable development policies.

This policy note from the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the challenges and progress in African fisheries governance, focusing on the tension between economic development, environmental sustainability, and social justice. It analyzes the roles of small-scale and industrial fisheries, the impact of illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and the transition toward co-management systems to address the limitations of centralized governance.

The ADAPTool for Creating New Policies is a Microsoft Excel-based guidance tool designed to help policy-makers develop policies, programs, strategies, or legislation that can adapt to complex and uncertain conditions, such as climate change and volatile market prices.

This briefing by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network examines the necessity and methods of integrating climate change into the post-2015 development agenda. It argues that climate change poses a grave threat to poverty eradication and sustainable development, while suggesting that 'climate-smart' goals and targets can simultaneously address development and environmental objectives.

This report, authored by Jessica Robinson of the Asia Sustainable Investment Association (ASrIA) for the 'Greening China's Financial Markets' project, examines how policy and regulatory innovations can incentivize the investment industry to integrate sustainability, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their strategies. It identifies systemic barriers such as 'short-termism' and a lack of standardized data, and proposes solutions including the reform of compensation structures, the implementation of carbon pricing, and the use of green investment banks to mobilize private capital for a low-carbon transition.

This policy briefing assesses the responsiveness of the G-20 to the concerns of sub-Saharan Africa between 2008 and 2012. Using a five-factor framework—goals, international law, administrative practice, comprehensive coverage, and co-ordinated specialisation—the author evaluates G-20 summit outcomes to determine if the interests of African nations, most of which are not G-20 members, are being adequately addressed.

This research paper describes an integrated hydrology and water operations simulation model developed using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) platform to assess the impacts of climate change on water supply reliability in the Tuolumne and Merced River Basins of California.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) issued a 2014 position statement calling for an immediate moratorium on fracking in Canada. The document outlines severe environmental and public health risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including the contamination of drinking water, significant greenhouse gas emissions, and the release of carcinogenic chemicals.