Search Climate Insights Directory

The IAI Executive Directorate reports progress on science and capacity building between July and October 2022. Key activities include the 'Climate and Health Responder Course for Latin America', the publication of a compendium on climate impacts in LAC, and the expansion of the STeP fellowship program to 45 fellows across 8 countries. The IAI also coordinated participation in the UNGA77 Science Summit and the SRI2022 congress, while establishing a Steering Committee for a Center for Science Diplomacy.

The document examines the drivers of debt distress in developing countries, particularly in Africa, and critiques the inadequacy of current G7 and G20 relief mechanisms. It highlights how a shift toward private creditors and the failure of the G20 Common Framework to enforce private sector participation have hindered debt restructuring. The text advocates for a total dismantling of the current global financial architecture in favor of innovative domestic financing, increased transparency, and the establishment of an International Developing Country Debt Authority.

The document asserts that the global food crisis is driven by an industrial food system that prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. It highlights how neoliberal policies, corporate concentration in agribusiness, and climate change have created fragility and hunger. The author calls for a radical transformation toward food sovereignty and agroecology to ensure the right to food and protect biodiversity.

ClientEarth warns that the UK Government's move toward rapid deregulation, particularly via the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, risks a 'perfect storm' of environmental degradation and reduced business investment. The organization argues that the Bill could lead to the overnight disappearance of critical legislative frameworks protecting air, water, and biodiversity by December 31, 2023, while bypassing parliamentary scrutiny through secondary legislation. This shift is viewed as a contradiction of the Government's own manifesto commitments and legal obligations under the Climate Change Act 2008.

Climate Central's global analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) found that 96% of the world's population—7.6 billion people—experienced daily temperatures made warmer by human-caused climate change between October 2021 and September 2022. The study identifies the strongest influences in regions near the equator and on small islands, with Lagos, Mexico City, and Singapore emerging as the highest hotspots of human exposure when accounting for urban population. The analysis also pinpointed peak continental CSI days, noting that these do not always coincide with major heat waves.

The report examines how the rise of the Indo-Pacific strategic framework and intensifying competition between traditional powers (US, UK, France) and emerging powers (China, India) affect African maritime security and development. It highlights the critical importance of Indian Ocean trade routes, the proliferation of foreign military bases in the region, and the risk of African states being drawn into proxy wars. The author emphasizes that while great power competition is a long-term risk, immediate threats include piracy, illegal fishing, and climate change. The paper recommends that African states and the African Union develop a unified conception of their maritime interests and leverage multilateral organizations to protect their sovereignty and blue economy goals.

The report argues that the Supreme Court's invocation of the 'major questions doctrine' in West Virginia v. EPA undermines the ability of federal agencies to use scientific expertise to address complex challenges like climate change. It warns that this shift concentrates policymaking power in the judiciary and suggests that Congress should codify Chevron deference and pass the Scientific Integrity Act. For the executive branch, it recommends a strategy of 'flooding the zone' with smaller, more numerous regulations, streamlining OIRA review, and utilizing nonacquiescence to maintain regulatory efficacy.

The report examines the expansion of maritime activity in the Arctic, specifically the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the Bering Strait, driven by climate change and Russia's strategy to monetize hydrocarbon reserves. It highlights a doubling of vessel transits in the Bering Strait since 2009 and warns of severe risks including oil spills, noise pollution, and disruptions to Indigenous subsistence activities. Despite geopolitical sanctions, the document argues that Russia's long-term commitment to Arctic infrastructure and the growing interest of 'near-Arctic' states like China will likely sustain the increase in traffic, necessitating urgent international cooperation and stricter shipping regulations to protect the fragile ecosystem.

The document argues that the EU failed its 2020 legal deadline to end overfishing and continues to set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) above scientific advice. It calls for the strict application of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the precautionary approach, and ecosystem-based management, particularly for depleted, deep-sea, and shared stocks. Key recommendations include setting TACs below maximum catch advice to create 'climate buffers', implementing remote electronic monitoring to enforce the Landing Obligation, and prioritizing the recovery of critically endangered species like the European eel.

A coalition of environmental NGOs urges the UK to align 2023 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) with scientific advice from ICES to combat persistent overfishing. The recommendations emphasize the precautionary approach, ecosystem-based management, and the need for a 'climate buffer' for vulnerable species. The authors highlight that nearly two-thirds of UK-negotiated TACs from 2020-2022 exceeded scientific advice and call for stricter controls on mixed fisheries, the Landing Obligation, and the protection of critically endangered species like the European eel.

Earthjustice criticizes the Biden administration for defending a Trump-era policy that overturned a 2016 coal-leasing moratorium. Despite a court ruling that the decision to end the moratorium failed to account for climate impacts, the administration continues to process new lease applications while U.S. coal consumption rose 14% in 2021. The document highlights that as of 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered 299 federal coal leases across approximately 458,600 acres, and over 40% of U.S. coal is produced on public lands. Earthjustice calls for the administration to internalize the environmental and social costs of mining and to stop defending resource management plans in the Powder River Basin that ignore the public health impacts of burning publicly-owned coal.

The statement emphasizes that National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) are essential for ensuring that climate action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are implemented through a human rights lens, particularly regarding loss and damage and financial mechanisms.

The 'Burning Questions: Social Media Toolkit' is a promotional guide designed to increase awareness and viewership for a climate change documentary produced by Covering Climate Now. The documentary, co-hosted by Al Roker and Savannah Sellers, features reports from award-winning journalists on the global effects of the climate crisis and the obstacles to action, such as corporate resistance and political wrangling. The toolkit provides specific instructions for supporters and partners to share the program via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and newsletters, offering pre-written copy and graphics to drive traffic to YouTube and the WORLD Channel.

A memo from a coalition of organizations urging the U.S. government to link human health outcomes to the transformation of the agricultural system, emphasizing the need to align subsidies with nutritious food production, support sustainable farming practices, and integrate racial equity into food policy.

Between 2000 and 2021, the U.S. experienced 1,542 major weather-related power outages, with 83% of all reported major outages attributed to weather. The average annual number of these events increased by approximately 78% in the 2011-2021 decade compared to 2000-2010. Severe weather, winter weather, and tropical cyclones were the primary drivers, with the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast regions most affected. To address these vulnerabilities, the document suggests solutions such as microgrids, smart grid technologies, grid hardening, and bidirectional charging for electric vehicles.

Climate Central's analysis of U.S. power outage data from 2000-2021 reveals a significant increase in large-scale disruptions, with 83% of major outages attributed to weather-related events. The report highlights that the frequency of major outages rose by 64% between 2011-2021 compared to 2000-2010, driven by severe weather, winter storms, hurricanes, extreme heat, and wildfires. It emphasizes the vulnerability of aging infrastructure and the compounding effects of climate change, which simultaneously increases electricity demand for cooling while reducing the capacity of power plants due to water shortages. The report identifies the Southeast as the region with the highest number of outages and notes specific recent surges in Texas, California, and Michigan.

A coalition of organizations calls on President Biden to ensure the next Farm Bill addresses systemic racism, the climate crisis, and food insecurity. The letter demands increased protections for food and farm workers, a shift toward nutritious food access, the promotion of market competition to support small-scale farmers, and stricter food safety measures to combat pathogens from factory farms.

A coalition of environmental organizations opposes Venture Global's CP2 Express Pipeline project, arguing that the application is incomplete, fails to assess cumulative environmental impacts, and violates the public trust duties of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.

The document examines how human-caused climate change and warming sea surface temperatures are increasing the proportion of intense tropical cyclones and the frequency of rapid intensification events. It highlights that tropical cyclones are the costliest weather disasters in the U.S., with 73% of billion-dollar storms since 1980 having undergone rapid intensification. The text notes that while landfalling hurricane frequency in the continental U.S. remained stable from 1900-2017, economic losses have risen due to increased population and wealth along the Gulf and East Coasts.

The IAI and CERMES have agreed to a two-year partnership to create synergies between the NOAA-CERMES Climate Resilience Enhancement Programme (NCCREP) and the IAI Science, Technology and Policy (STeP) Fellowship program. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between climate science research and decision-making in the Caribbean and Latin America by providing professional development in leadership, communication, and science diplomacy for early-career researchers. CERMES is responsible for coordinating the placement of up to three fellows annually in Caribbean host institutions and managing funding via NOAA, while the IAI provides a professional development program and access to an Inter-American networking platform.