Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the evolution and implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), emphasizing the shift from emergency response to proactive risk management. It highlights the critical role of integrating DRR with climate change adaptation and the use of nature-based solutions, such as wetlands, to mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent and intense weather-related disasters.

This research paper provides a baseline 'state of knowledge' on disaster risk science to support the development of a global research agenda for risk-informed development. It traces the evolution of disaster studies from emergency management to proactive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and outlines the interdisciplinary nature of disaster science.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of women environmental defenders in Nepal and the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic. It argues that these actors are critical for transformative disaster risk reduction (DRR) because they address the root causes of vulnerability and provide essential resources to marginalized groups who are often overlooked by official disaster responses.

This briefing highlights the critical but overlooked role of women environmental defenders in the Philippines in advancing 'transformative' disaster risk reduction (DRR). It argues that while gender and social inequalities increase the vulnerability of women and Indigenous peoples, these groups use traditional knowledge and grassroots mobilization to combat environmental destruction and structural inequality. The document provides recommendations for decision-makers to support these defenders through human rights compliance, accountability for developers, and expanded educational opportunities.

This case study examines the risks and impacts of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, highlighting the transboundary nature of these disasters and the need for regional cooperation in disaster risk reduction.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides recommendations for the development of Canada's first-ever National Adaptation Strategy (NAS). It analyzes adaptation planning trends globally and across 11 peer countries, evaluates Canada's existing domestic policy and institutional foundations, and proposes 13 considerations to ensure the NAS is inclusive, accountable, and effective in mobilizing federal action.

This research paper examines urban sustainability transitions in small and intermediary cities of the global South, analyzing how different actors, drivers, and financing mechanisms influence inclusion processes and environmental outcomes across seven interventions.

This report, produced as part of the Critical Challenges of Coastal Southeast Asia (3CSeas) project, explores how social protection mechanisms can build resilience to slow-onset climate change impacts, particularly for coastal communities.

This policy brief argues for increased investment in resilience in Malawi to mitigate the rising economic costs of extreme weather events. It introduces the 'triple dividend' of resilience—avoided losses, unlocked development potential, and co-benefits—and provides evidence from various sectors and regions showing that such investments are highly cost-effective compared to humanitarian aid.

This policy brief examines the causes of recurring flooding in Accra, Ghana, and advocates for the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) with traditional infrastructure to mitigate disaster risks. It emphasizes the necessity of collaboration and communication between municipal and district assemblies to manage shared waterways and drainage systems effectively.

This report provides a road map for information and knowledge management (IKM) to support global climate change and sustainable development agendas, specifically focusing on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in Europe.

The 'Mapping of Global and Regional Resilience Initiatives' is a report published by the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) in March 2020. It provides a comprehensive directory of funds, financing facilities, networks, alliances, partnerships, organisations, programmes, and projects that focus on or incorporate elements of climate and disaster resilience.

This policy brief examines the role of resilient ecosystems in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR), specifically for coastal cities in Africa. It advocates for nature-based solutions, such as Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), to reduce vulnerability to extreme weather events. The document highlights a significant gap in African regional policies that explicitly link biodiversity conservation with DRR and provides recommendations for mainstreaming these approaches into national and regional development strategies.

This fact sheet describes 'HydroHazards', a five-year interdisciplinary project (2020-2024) funded by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and FORMAS. The project aims to evaluate damages caused by multiple water hazards in Sweden and provide policy recommendations for mitigation and adaptation, specifically focusing on Critical Societal Services and Infrastructure (CSSIs).

This fact sheet describes the HydroHazards project, a five-year interdisciplinary study (2020–2024) funded by MSB and FORMAS. The project focuses on managing vulnerabilities to multiple hydrometeorological natural hazards in Sweden, specifically examining how simultaneous, cascading, or cumulative water-related events impact critical infrastructure, essential services, and the population.

SEI researchers developed a terminology card game as part of the Future Resilience for African CiTies and Lands (FRACTAL) project to help stakeholders in southern African cities, specifically Windhoek and Lusaka, overcome barriers in climate change adaptation planning. The game facilitates 'transdisciplinary knowledge integration' by helping participants distinguish between key concepts like weather, climate, adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction through a collaborative, non-threatening exercise. The activity is designed to build capacities and working relationships between city stakeholders and scientists to increase the uptake of science in policy.

This guide, prepared by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and SouthSouthNorth (SSN), translates the findings of the 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate specifically for African policymakers. It details how human-induced climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, accelerating sea-level rise, and melting high-mountain glaciers, all of which threaten marine biodiversity, food security, and coastal infrastructure across the African continent.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change up to 2020. It details the Committee's use of General Recommendations, Joint Statements, and the State reporting procedure to establish that States have human rights obligations to protect women from climate-related harms and ensure their participation in climate policy.

This document summarizes the outcomes of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) Resilience Roundtable held on December 10, 2019, during UNFCCC COP 25 in Madrid. The roundtable focused on accelerating action to build a resilient 1.5-degree world, emphasizing the need to bring investment in adaptation and resilience on par with mitigation to protect the most vulnerable populations, particularly in least developed countries and small island developing states.

This case study examines Sri Lanka's efforts to align national policy processes across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlighting the role of centralized ministerial leadership and iterative policy updates.