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By the Numbers: The Economic Benefits of a National Climate Action Plan
The document asserts that the United States can save billions of dollars annually by implementing the National Climate Action Plan, noting that the costs of climate inaction—such as extreme weather damages—are already significant. It highlights four key areas for emissions reductions: power plants, energy efficiency, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and methane, arguing that the resulting public health and economic gains exceed regulatory costs. The text further claims that EPA regulations often cost less than projected and can stimulate industry investment by providing a clear regulatory framework.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The matter is not if, but when and where: the role of capacity development in disaster risk reduction aiming for a sustainable water supply and sanitation
The document examines the PAARSS programme (1999-2007) in Mozambique, which integrated disaster risk reduction into water and sanitation services to build community resilience in flood-prone districts. It argues that ecosystem management is an undervalued but effective solution for mitigating hazards and reducing vulnerability, particularly as global environmental and climate changes increase disaster trends.
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Document type: Case study
Beyond growth
The document examines the debate over whether economic growth can be decoupled from environmental degradation or if a transition to 'degrowth' and post-consumerism is necessary. It contrasts 'ecological modernisation'—which relies on green technology and efficiency—with 'green radicalism,' which advocates for sufficiency and cultural shifts. The text applies these theories to specific national contexts, arguing that while some developed nations may be entering a post-consumerist era due to economic instability, others, like Croatia, still require green growth to ensure social stability. It concludes that a sustainable future requires redistributing wealth, sharing work, and moving beyond the 'productivist compromise' of the post-war era.
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Document type: Report
After the Storm: The Hidden Health Risks of Flooding in a Warming World
The document highlights the link between a warming climate and the increase in heavy precipitation events across the United States. It emphasizes that while flood impacts are typically measured by property damage and immediate loss of life, there are substantial 'hidden' public health costs. These include waterborne gastrointestinal illnesses from contaminated water, respiratory and neurological problems caused by indoor mold, and increased mental health struggles. The report identifies five specific hidden risks: drowning while driving, contaminated drinking water, sewage backup in homes, contamination of recreational waterways, and toxic indoor mold. It advocates for aggressive carbon emission reductions and the creation of more resilient communities to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Executive summary
Harmonized Perspectives Study for the harmonization of knowledge and experience from the indigenous/local, technical and scientific spheres for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change (CC) programming
The report argues for a 'symbiosis' of indigenous wisdom and scientific data to build community resilience in Central America. It details the holistic worldview of indigenous peoples, who view climate change as a result of human imbalance with 'Mother Earth'. The study provides a synergy model linking biodiversity, DRR, and CC, and documents success stories where traditional knowledge—such as interpreting natural indicators or using ancestral seeds—effectively mitigated disaster impacts. It concludes that indigenous peoples must be treated as active stakeholders and decision-makers in public policy rather than mere objects of projects.
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Document type: Report
Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region
The report details a six-week online dialogue involving 155 participants from 118 organisations, primarily from Southeast and South Asia. It examines the tension between technocratic 'top-down' approaches and community-based 'bottom-up' strategies for disaster preparedness. Key findings highlight that over-reliance on high-tech sensors often overlooks the 'first mile'—the social elements and community needs essential for effective warning response. The document also identifies systemic barriers, including a lack of sub-national government resources, reliance on unsustainable volunteerism, and the failure to address socio-economic vulnerabilities such as poverty and gender inequality in risk knowledge dissemination.
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Document type: Report
Understanding Adaptive Policy Mechanisms through Farm-level Studies of Adaptation to Weather Events in Alberta, Canada
The report examines how farmers in Coaldale and Foremost, Alberta, adapt to drought, flooding, and extreme heat, and analyzes the public policies that facilitate these responses. It identifies seven adaptive policy mechanisms—automatic adjustment, integrated assessment, multi-perspective deliberation, formal review, self-organization, subsidiarity, and promoting variation—and evaluates their presence in the Canadian Agriculture Income Stabilization (CAIS) program and the Alberta Irrigation District (ID) program. The findings suggest that the ID program exhibits stronger adaptive features and better supports community resilience than the CAIS program.
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Document type: Research paper
Addressing Land Ownership after Natural Disasters
The report examines the critical role of land ownership in community resilience and post-disaster reconstruction. Survey results indicate that while land issues are seen as less urgent during the immediate relief phase, they are paramount for long-term recovery. The document highlights challenges such as the destruction of land records, the risk of 'land grabs' by governments or private entities, and the tension between formal legal systems and customary land tenure. It advocates for a coordinated approach where governments lead the restoration of land administration, supported by development agencies providing technical mapping and adjudication tools, and civil society ensuring the rights of vulnerable groups.
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Document type: Report
Factsheet: Preparing for Climate Change in our Communities
The document outlines how climate change impacts Canadian health through extreme weather, food and water insecurity, and disease, while offering specific guidance for health professionals to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
1givrapd_policy_brief_integrated_approach_to_community_adaptation_sids-e48a928763519834.pdf
This policy brief describes the Global Islands’ Vulnerability Research Adaptation Policy and Development (GIVRAPD) Project, an interdisciplinary research initiative focused on understanding the socioeconomic, governance, and environmental factors that influence the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of small and medium-sized coastal communities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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Document type: Policy brief
lac-05-juan-carlos-front-back-a2152059169b2513.pdf
The document outlines a character profile for a 15-year-old student living in the marginal urban neighbourhood of Barrio Inundado. The persona is designed to explore the impacts of flooding on youth, specifically how floodwaters disrupt access to education and daily errands, and to identify potential contributions a young person could make to community resilience, such as joining a volunteer network for practical help or applying future legal studies to enforce building and land zoning codes.
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Document type: Guide
lac-06-sofia-front-back-67863fa381a9a184.pdf
The document outlines a character profile for a 62-year-old retired agricultural worker living in the marginal urban neighbourhood of Barrio Inundado. The persona is designed to highlight the specific vulnerabilities of elderly, less mobile residents during floods, noting that flooding ruins "furniture and food supplies" and cuts off "freshwater supplies". It emphasizes the social barriers to participation, stating that "people are prejudiced against an older peasant woman", while expressing interest in an "organised network of volunteers" to provide and receive practical help during future flood events.
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Document type: Guide
Minimum Standards for local climate-smart Disaster Risk Reduction – enabling integration of local capacities into national climate adaptation strategies
The document introduces Minimum Standards for local climate-smart Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to move beyond 'business as usual' by incorporating changing climate risks into local planning. These standards are designed as practical, achievable goals for communities with limited support, serving as a bridge to national adaptation strategies. The framework is organized into four themes: information flow and capacity development, project planning and implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and awareness raising and policy dialogue. It includes specific roles for civil society organizations (CSOs) and government authorities to create an enabling environment for these standards. Developed through the Partners for Resilience (PfR) programme and consultations in Indonesia, the standards aim to ensure that local DRR contributes meaningfully to climate change adaptation.
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Document type: Policy brief
south-asia-06-sohail-a8b3142a93ff07c3.pdf
The document presents a character profile for a simulation exercise involving a resident of Krishna Nagar. The persona describes the personal and community impacts of flooding, including blocked roads, overflowing drains, water contamination, electricity outages, and increased grocery prices. It highlights barriers to community participation for youth, such as parental security concerns and academic priorities, while expressing interest in a volunteer network to support residents during water logging and flood events.
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Document type: Guide
The Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative
The Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) is proposed as a federal framework to address ecological decline, flood vulnerability, and pollution in the Mississippi River basin. Modeled after the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, MRRRI would direct the EPA to collaborate with states, tribal nations, and local governments to implement an action plan focused on reducing runoff pollution, managing flood risks, and restoring wildlife habitats. The proposal highlights the economic importance of the river, which supports a $500 billion-a-year economy and 1.5 million jobs, while noting that inaction leaves communities—particularly low-income, rural, and Indigenous populations—vulnerable to environmental and financial risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Evaluación de la capacidad institucional de salud pública para responder al dengue en el contexto del cambio climático
The document examines how climate change expands dengue transmission in Latin America and evaluates the institutional capacity of health systems in Argentina and Guatemala to respond. It argues that technical capacity alone is insufficient without systemic integration, inter-institutional coordination, and territorial differentiation. Key findings highlight a paradox where high technical training does not prevent high dengue incidence if responses remain fragmented, while lower-capacity areas face increased risks due to personnel shortages and limited knowledge of severe dengue.
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Document type: Policy brief
Outil d’identification des risques au niveau communautaire – Adaptation et en résumé moyens d’existence
CRiSTAL (Community Risk Identification and Adaptation Tool) is a decision-support framework developed by IUCN, IISD, SEI, and Intercooperation to assist project managers in designing activities that enhance community resilience. The tool uses a logical sequence of four analytical steps, divided into two modules, to assess how climate hazards affect livelihood resources and how project activities can be adjusted to improve adaptation capacity. It relies on a combination of secondary scientific climate data and stakeholder consultations, with data managed via Microsoft Excel. Since its 2007 launch, the tool has been applied in over 20 countries, following initial field trials in Mali, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Nicaragua, and Sri Lanka.
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Document type: Guide
scn-ea-lap-toolkit_en-a01b754ba059144a.pdf
The document outlines a multisectoral approach to preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) at the sub-national level. It details a five-step process for creating Local Action Plans (LAPs): securing political buy-in, conducting risk assessments, developing a Theory of Change, establishing coordination structures like Local Prevention Networks (LPNs), and legislating the plan. The guide emphasizes a 'whole-of-city' approach, drawing heavily on the Kenyan County Action Plan (CAP) model, and provides frameworks for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to ensure sustainability beyond donor funding.
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Document type: Guide
UMHLAHLANDLELA WAKWA-UNICEF WOKULUNGISELELA IZIMO EZIPHUTHUMAYO
The document is a youth-led emergency preparedness guide for South Africans, focusing on identifying risks, creating response plans, and building community resilience against climate-related disasters, health crises, and social unrest.
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Document type: Guide
TOKOMANE YA UNCEF YA HO THUSA BATHO HORE BA DULE BA LE MALALA-A-LAOTSWE NAKONG YA DIKETSAHALO TSA TSHOHANYETSO
The document is a comprehensive emergency preparedness guide for South African youth, focusing on building community resilience against climate-related disasters, health crises, and civil unrest.
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Document type: Guide