Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective argues for a 'deep, just transition' approach to African food systems that prioritizes human rights, structural equity, and agroecology over industrialization. Using South Africa as a cautionary example of the failures of industrial agri-food systems, the document provides recommendations for philanthropic organizations to fund multi-sectoral coalitions, grassroots agency, and long-term, context-based research and advocacy.

This policy brief argues that market concentration and weak competition regimes in African agrifood systems inflate food prices, marginalize smallholder farmers, and hinder climate change adaptation. It recommends strengthening national and regional competition authorities, improving market intelligence through tools like the African Market Observatory, and securing international donor support to dismantle cartels and regulate multinational firms.

The 'Understanding Climate Risks Through an Intersectional Approach (iCRA)' fact sheet describes a project running from January 2025 to December 2026 aimed at strengthening the evidence base for intersectional climate change adaptation. The project pilots intersectional Climate Risk Assessments (CRAs) in Nepal and South Africa to analyze how overlapping systems of inequity influence climate vulnerability.

This research paper examines how 'riskification' influences climate change adaptation (CCA) in four European cities, arguing that technocratic risk management often depoliticizes climate risks and obstructs transformative societal change.

This research paper introduces a conceptual framework designed to identify and select responses to cross-border climate impacts, addressing the limitation that adaptation is typically treated as a local or national governance issue.

This research paper, authored by Marco V. Sánchez of the FAO and published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, argues that low-income and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, can achieve significant gains in food security and economic growth by optimizing their existing public spending on agriculture rather than relying solely on budget increases.

The First Amendment to the Agreement for Scientific or Technological Cooperation between the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) extends the partnership's duration and expands the scope of collaboration to include equity, indigenous knowledge, and scientific diplomacy.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute argues for the urgent integration of sanitation considerations into national climate policies and the inclusion of climate adaptation and mitigation measures within sanitation policies.

This research paper evaluates the alignment between the New Development Bank's (NDB) strategic goals and its actual lending practices from 2016 to 2023. It finds that while the NDB has expanded its mandate to support climate action and sustainable development, it struggles to meet its targets for local currency financing and non-sovereign lending.

This executive summary describes a study of approximately 130 urban resilience solutions implemented by for-profit and not-for-profit organisations in Global South cities, specifically focusing on informal contexts such as informal settlements and economies.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice argues that food insecurity in South Africa is primarily a result of income poverty rather than food scarcity. It advocates for a Guaranteed Universal Basic Income (UBIG) to ensure all citizens can afford a nutritious diet, highlighting the severe health, social, and economic costs of malnutrition and the limitations of current targeted social grants.

This technical brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development summarizes key findings on gender, equity, and justice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II) to make technical knowledge more accessible to practitioners, advocates, and educators.

This research paper describes the development and validation of the Local Knowledge Scenarios (LKS) methodology, which integrates field work and Agent-Based Models to assess how rural producers in the Americas perceive global change and how this knowledge influences future land-use scenarios and decision-making.

This technical brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) summarizes key findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II) regarding gender, equity, and justice in climate change adaptation. It translates technical scientific data into accessible messages and illustrative examples, specifically contextualized for African geographies, to help practitioners implement more inclusive and effective adaptation strategies.

This technical brief from the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative provides a framework and checklist for practitioners and policy-makers to assess and design nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation, focusing on gender-responsiveness, social inclusion, and conflict sensitivity.

This document consists of two distinct parts: a supplemental expert report by Dr. Ranajit (Ron) Sahu evaluating the air quality impact assessment (AQIA) for the proposed Lephalale Coal Mine, and a comprehensive Spatial Development Framework (SDF) for the Lephalale Local Municipality. Dr. Sahu concludes that the mine will cause substantial adverse particulate matter (PM) impacts, exceeding national standards even with mitigation. The SDF section provides a long-term spatial plan for the municipality, focusing on the 'energy hub' of Africa, rural development, and the management of urban sprawl and environmental protection.

This report analyzes national monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems for climate adaptation in Canada, France, Kenya, Namibia, Peru, Somalia, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. It finds that while monitoring has improved since 2014—with Kenya establishing legal frameworks and others strengthening NAP processes—evaluation and learning remain underdeveloped. Additionally, the systematic integration of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) is lacking, despite examples from Kenya and Vietnam. The report emphasizes the link between these national systems and global UNFCCC processes, such as the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience.

The report details the proceedings of the 57th meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Council, held via videoconference on 16 May 2024. The meeting focused on financial budget requests, the relocation of the IAI headquarters from Uruguay to Panama, and the establishment of formal procedures for permanent observer status.

This research paper examines the energy infrastructure challenges faced by island states and the potential for decentralized renewable energy systems to improve resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change and geographic isolation.

This report presents an integrated cost-benefit analysis by the NBI Global Resource Centre on the use of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) to combat land degradation and desertification in Burkina Faso, highlighting significant economic returns and socioeconomic benefits.