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The report examines Kenya's efforts to mainstream climate change resilience into its development planning, highlighting the role of the National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP). It details the institutional arrangements, such as the National Climate Change Council, and the use of the 'Threshold 21' model to forecast climate impacts on sectors like agriculture and energy. While political will is evident, the report notes a heavy reliance on unpredictable external donor funding and a need for a stronger legislative backbone to support policy frameworks.

The document argues that Ontario should implement a unified carbon-pricing scheme, specifically a cap-and-trade system, to preempt federal sector-by-sector regulations and ensure cost-effective mitigation. Using economic modelling, the authors suggest that full compliance flexibility—including offsets and potential linking with the Western Climate Initiative (WCI)—could reduce compliance costs to below $15 per tonne by 2020. The brief cautions against overcompensating firms through free permit allocations, particularly in the electricity sector, to avoid windfall profits, and suggests a 25,000 tonne coverage threshold to align with California and Quebec systems.

The document examines the role of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the global transition to clean energy, arguing that they are essential for motivating the private sector to innovate and lower costs. While acknowledging that IPRs can be a barrier for least-developed countries (LDCs) that rely on imitation, the author contends that the benefits of IPRs generally outweigh the costs. The paper highlights the concentration of clean energy patents in the US, Japan, and Germany, while noting China's rapid growth in the sector. It proposes a shift in terminology from 'technology transfer' to 'technology diffusion' and suggests a combination of IPR protection, public funding for basic research, and global finance mechanisms for demonstration projects to close the innovation gap in developing nations. A case study on the Kimberley Mechanism in South Africa illustrates how patenting can enable the development of low-cost concentrating solar power (CSP) components.

The assessment identifies that the village of Atom is highly vulnerable due to a combination of unpredictable rainfall, forest degradation, and a lack of alternative livelihoods. While traditional shifting cultivation provides some flexibility, the loss of labor due to urban migration and restrictions on hunting in protected areas have weakened local resilience. The document recommends implementing climate-smart agriculture and improving market linkages to enhance food security and adaptive capacity.

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a transition from industrial agriculture to 'healthy farms' based on agro-ecological principles. The brief identifies four key strategies: adopting a landscape approach to biodiversity, increasing crop rotation diversity, reintegrating livestock and crops, and expanding the use of cover crops. It argues that these methods can maintain high yields and profits while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, mitigating pollution, and enhancing soil fertility. The document concludes that this transition requires systemic policy changes, including increased financial incentives, expanded technical assistance, and more publicly funded research into sustainable practices.

The submission emphasizes that climate change is a major human rights challenge and urges that the 2015 Agreement's Preamble and Shared Vision explicitly recognize the link between human rights and climate change. It calls for a rights-based approach to adaptation, the regulation of corporations to prevent rights abuses during mitigation, and the establishment of an international mechanism to provide compensation for loss and damage. Additionally, it advocates for strong safeguard policies and accountability mechanisms within climate finance, specifically mentioning the Green Climate Fund, and demands guaranteed access to information and justice for all affected communities.

The document discusses the upcoming Fifth Review of the UNFCCC's Financial Mechanism, emphasizing the need for a holistic assessment of climate finance processes to address past shortcomings and institutional fragmentation. It highlights the role of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) in leading this review and the importance of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in the new architecture. The brief critiques previous reviews for being too focused on the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and lacking independent oversight, while calling for better measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of financial flows to developing countries.

The document details CDKN's support for Pakistan, focusing on three main areas: climate-resilient reconstruction in Punjab, the development of a national disaster risk insurance strategy, and technical capacity building for UNFCCC COP negotiations. It also highlights the launch of Pakistan's National Climate Change Policy in February 2013, which prioritizes adaptation in water, agriculture, and forestry, while addressing mitigation and disaster preparedness.

National development banks (NDBs) are positioned as critical intermediaries to bridge the climate finance gap by leveraging public funds to attract private capital. Due to their local market knowledge and development mandates, NDBs can address both demand-side barriers (pre-investment) and supply-side risks (investment phase). In the LAC region, NDBs possess significant assets and capital, and many are already utilizing a variety of instruments—including Tier 1 and Tier 2 loans, guarantees, and equity—to promote low-carbon development. The report argues that NDBs can achieve leverage factors equal to or greater than multilateral development banks (MDBs) because of their proximity to local financial institutions and ability to manage country-specific risks.

The document advocates for a 'cultural and social revolution' in food systems to replace the industrial agro-industry, which it links to environmental degradation and public health crises. It critiques the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for favoring large-scale production over small farmers and biodiversity. Through various regional case studies—including France's 'malbouffe' crisis, land-grabbing in Hungary, and organic farming in Spain—it promotes short supply chains, agro-ecology, and the reconnection of consumers with producers. It also highlights specific Green political initiatives in Belgium and Germany aimed at promoting organic and GMO-free agriculture.

The document details Nepal's approach to integrating economy, society, and environment through District Climate and Energy Plans (DCEPs). It highlights a pilot process in three districts—Ilam, Makwanpur, and Mustang—which led to the creation of a 'DCEP Preparation Guideline' to be scaled across all 75 districts. Using Ilam as a primary example, the text describes how multi-stakeholder task forces use data and scenario analysis to prioritize renewable energy technologies (RETs) such as solar, biogas, and micro-hydro based on mitigation potential and local vulnerability. This bottom-up planning is supported by the national Climate Change Policy (2011) and the forthcoming Low Carbon Economic Development Strategy (LCEDS).

The document describes Thailand's national strategy to transition toward a low carbon society through the "Low Carbon City" initiative. It outlines a nine-step systematic process developed by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) to help local governments inventory emissions, set targets, and implement mitigation measures. The case study focuses on Muangklang Municipality in Rayong province, which piloted this approach by implementing measures in buildings, transport, waste, agriculture, and urban spaces. Key findings emphasize that local leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the communication of tangible co-benefits—such as reduced waste disposal costs and increased food security—are critical for the success of low-emission development at the local level.

The document argues that while public and private funding for climate-resilient development is increasing, it remains insufficient to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. It highlights the need for a more equitable international climate finance architecture, specifically calling for the inclusion of least developed countries and small island developing states in the design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The brief emphasizes that climate change should be treated as an economic concern managed by national ministries of finance and planning, and that public finance must be used strategically to unlock the private sector, which is expected to provide over 85% of the necessary funding.

The document identifies five key drivers for Climate Compatible Development (CCD)—national adaptation needs, energy security, new economic opportunities, access to climate finance, and strong government leadership—while detailing seven primary obstacles, including high opportunity costs, political resistance, and institutional constraints. It provides case studies from over 40 countries to illustrate how these factors interact and suggests solutions such as multi-stakeholder dialogue, legislative anchoring, and risk-sharing financial mechanisms.

The paper identifies five key drivers for CCD: national adaptation needs, energy security and resource efficiency, new economic opportunities, access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. It also outlines seven primary challenges, including high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of trusted data, short-term political thinking, limited state capacity, institutional constraints, and technological uncertainties. The authors argue that managing the political economy of CCD is essential for overcoming these barriers.

The document argues that the long-term nature of PPPs often makes it difficult for governments to adapt contracts to evolving sustainability priorities. It proposes a 'health check' framework based on a triple bottom line—economic, environmental, and social sustainability—to guide the review and renegotiation of existing agreements. Using the UK's transition from PFI to PF2 as a context, it suggests mechanisms like 'invest to save' and gain-share provisions to enhance value-for-money and environmental performance. It also highlights the importance of life-cycle assessments (LCA) and ethical labor standards in ensuring the long-term viability and social acceptance of infrastructure projects.

The SEI Science Forum 2013 Book of Abstracts presents a diverse portfolio of research focusing on the water-energy-food nexus, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable governance. Key projects include the development of integrated modeling toolkits (WEAP and LEAP), assessments of climate vulnerability in cities like Quito and Cape Town, and evaluations of international climate finance mechanisms such as the Adaptation Fund. The research spans global scopes with specific case studies in regions including Southeast Asia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arctic, emphasizing the bridge between scientific research and policy implementation.

The study finds that NASA is viewed as a competent and trustworthy source of climate research, with a majority of Americans preferring NASA over other federal agencies to answer key climate questions. While users generally liked the climate.nasa.gov website—praising its visuals and abundance of information—they were only moderately satisfied with how well it answered their specific questions, particularly regarding the costs and personal actions for reducing climate change. Website traffic varied by audience segment, with the 'Dismissive' and 'Doubtful' groups most likely to visit the Uncertainties and Causes sections, while the 'Alarmed' group showed the most interest in NASA's role and solutions.

The document describes how Zambia's Conservation Farming Unit and the World Agroforestry Centre have used 'evergreen agriculture' since the mid-1990s to combat food insecurity and climate vulnerability. This approach integrates specific tree species into annual food crop systems through maize agroforestry and conservation agriculture with trees, focusing on the affordable replenishment of soils using natural fertilisers and indigenous knowledge.

The study examines the integration of climate change adaptation into water management in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, highlighting that misconceptions about the timing and certainty of climate risks have led to a lack of mainstreaming in national water planning.