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The assessment finds that nature-based infrastructure (stream renaturalization) is the most cost-efficient and climate-resilient option, providing the highest net benefits primarily through avoided flood damages and additional water supply. While grey infrastructure (concrete culverts) has the highest upfront costs and provides no environmental co-benefits, nature-based solutions maintain superior performance across various climate scenarios, although they are more labour-intensive to maintain.

The report identifies critical gaps in Tonga's climate communication, including a lack of public awareness data, insufficient Tongan-language materials, and minimal formal engagement between the government and mainstream media. It recommends establishing formal government-media partnerships, developing a Tongan-language handbook for climate terms, conducting a baseline survey on public understanding, and increasing the use of social media and creative content to reach diverse audiences.

The document argues for a shift toward anticipatory governance in SADC to manage 'wicked' problems like climate change and pandemics. It identifies systemic failures in the region's response to COVID-19 and cyclones, advocating for a holistic, cross-sectoral approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR) based on foresight, networked systems, and feedback loops.

The document argues that the US housing stock requires significant performance and health improvements, particularly for low-to-moderate-income households and communities of color. It suggests that the mortgage industry can bridge the gap between investor demand for ESG securities and the lack of market-ready green investments by streamlining green mortgage products. Specifically, it claims that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could generate over $2 trillion in green mortgage-backed securities within ten years.

The report positions urban centers as critical drivers for climate leadership and economic recovery, specifically examining Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa to propose pathways for inclusive and climate-resilient futures.

The authors contend that environmental degradation and climate change are fundamental drivers of food insecurity and conflict. They highlight how resource competition in regions like the Sahel and Yemen fuels violence and extremism, while pointing to natural farming successes in India as a model for resilience. The document recommends that international security institutions acknowledge climate security risks to effectively address stability and displacement.

The briefing highlights the vulnerability of India's power sector to climate-induced extreme weather, citing the Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower plant disaster. It argues that current infrastructure is insufficient for future needs and calls for a shift toward flexibility, decentralized renewables, and higher design standards for grid hardening to protect critical services and social resilience.

The report analyzes the green finance landscape in Central America and the Caribbean (CAC), noting that while the market is small—with only six green bond issuances as of June 2020—there is significant potential for growth in renewable energy, low-carbon transport, sustainable water, and waste management. It highlights the role of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the leadership of Costa Rica in climate ambition. The document provides a step-by-step guide for green financing and explores emerging opportunities in sustainable agriculture and the blue economy, while discussing the economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 and the 2020 hurricane season.

The document establishes a two-component eligibility framework for hydropower certification: a Mitigation Component and an Adaptation & Resilience (A&R) Component. The Mitigation Component uses a 'predictive screen' based on power density to identify low-risk assets, while others must undergo a GHG assessment using the G-res tool or on-site studies to meet emissions intensity thresholds of 100g CO2e/kWh (pre-2020) or 50g CO2e/kWh (post-2020). The A&R Component requires assets to be assessed via the ESG Gap Analysis Tool, with strict limits on the number of 'significant gaps' allowed and a requirement for an Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) to close those gaps within 24 months. Additionally, the criteria mandate Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for indigenous peoples and public disclosure of compliance data.

The policy brief examines the critical link between environmental degradation and human health, framing the COVID-19 pandemic as a consequence of neglecting these interconnections. It argues that a 'green recovery' requires breaking down policy silos between health and environment ministries and integrating health co-benefits into climate and biodiversity finance. The document highlights the high economic and human costs of pollution, zoonotic diseases, and inefficient food systems, proposing a transdisciplinary 'planetary health' framework to guide sustainable development and safeguard against future global health crises.

The report analyzes the role of trade policy in managing food system shocks, using the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2015-2016 Southern Africa drought, and the US-China trade war as case studies. It argues that current WTO rules have gaps regarding export restrictions, high tariffs, and harmful agricultural subsidies. To enhance resilience, the authors propose four policy goals: ensuring food access for the poor, protecting farmer livelihoods, improving market functioning through equitable resource distribution, and restoring trust in multilateral institutions. Key recommendations include exempting humanitarian food purchases from export bans, reducing 'tariff peaks' in major importing countries, and establishing a special safeguard mechanism for low-income producers.

The document assesses the transition to low-carbon transport in the SADC region, focusing on the synergy between e-mobility and the power sector. Using the South Africa TIMES (SATIM) model, it compares four scenarios: Fossil-Car, Fossil-Efficiency, Electric-Car, and Eco-Mobility. The analysis finds that while modal shifts (road-to-rail and transit-oriented development) significantly reduce energy demand, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is the primary lever for rapid GHG emission reductions. The paper highlights that a transition to EVs would eliminate the need for new crude-oil refinery capacity in South Africa but would increase electricity demand by approximately 20% by 2050. It also explores the role of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs) for heavy corridor freight and the potential for a regional value chain leveraging the mineral resources of the DRC and Zambia.

The document identifies systemic barriers to nature-positive infrastructure, including a lack of decision-relevant biodiversity data, limited technical capacity among engineers, and financial models that prioritize short-term returns over long-term ecosystem benefits. It argues for a paradigm shift toward nature-based solutions (NbS) and ecological connectivity, recommending the adoption of standardized metrics like the European Taxonomy and the Task Force for Nature-Related Disclosure (TNFD). The report emphasizes that 'upstream' policy and spatial planning are the most effective levers for change, urging governments to redirect COVID-19 recovery stimulus packages away from fossil-fuel reliant sectors toward sustainable, decarbonized infrastructure.

The OffgridSun project installed nine solar pumping systems in Zimbabwe's Lupane and Makoni districts to improve water access and food security. Funded primarily by a grant from AICS, the initiative provided solar-powered wells that increased agricultural productivity by 15% and created income opportunities for 135 people.

The document highlights that India's rapid urbanisation leads to the neglect of peri-urban ecosystems—transitional zones between rural and urban areas—resulting in environmental degradation and increased vulnerability to climate change. It argues that these ecosystems are vital for climate resilience but suffer from governance challenges due to unclear administrative boundaries. The brief suggests that an integrated management approach could bridge the rural-urban divide through decentralised, local governance and district-level planning involving multiple stakeholders.

The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, are the main drivers of global warming, which has seen average global temperatures rise by about one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting environmental impacts, such as rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, while highlighting the specific vulnerability of the United States to billion-dollar disasters. The text outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency, and discusses the role of international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the influence of climate finance in supporting these transitions.

Developing countries are increasingly facing 'compound shocks'—simultaneous or sequential disruptive events like pandemics, economic crises, and climate-driven disasters—which deplete budgets and cause cascading system failures. The authors argue that the current disaster risk finance architecture over-incentivizes ex post relief over ex ante preparedness. To address this, they propose that the World Bank's IDA offer softer financing terms (higher grant components) to countries that commit to specific resilience investments in data collection, regulatory reform, budgetary frameworks, and early warning systems. Additionally, they recommend introducing automatic 'disaster clauses' in IDA debt to defer payments following major shocks, similar to models used by Grenada and Barbados. Finally, the document proposes transforming the Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF) into a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) to increase its operational independence, broaden its donor base beyond Germany and the United Kingdom, and better support regional risk pools and risk measurement capacity.

The document argues that integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) and flexible tenure systems into urban upgrading schemes can improve living conditions and climate resilience for marginalized populations in African dryland cities. It highlights a pioneering approach in Namibia across three pilot cities and draws on research from the 'Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems' partnership involving Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The document argues that urban climate resilience in dryland Africa requires alternative models of knowledge production and decision-making that prioritize social inclusivity and innovation. It highlights that rapid, expansive population growth in African cities increases land use change and leaves residents of informal settlements vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding and landslides due to a lack of basic services and secure tenure. Based on stakeholder interviews from the "Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems" partnership, the brief emphasizes democratic accountability, transparent decision-making, and community co-production as essential themes for scalable and replicable urban policy.

The document argues that peri-urban ecosystems in India are critical for the resilience of both urban and peri-urban populations but are frequently neglected due to ambiguous administrative boundaries and rapid urbanisation. It highlights the essential services these areas provide, such as flood control, food security, and microclimate regulation, while warning that unplanned infrastructure leads to environmental degradation. The brief recommends integrated, flexible planning at the district level, the revival of District and Metropolitan Planning Committees, and the adoption of participatory, community-led governance to balance development with ecological preservation.