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The report evaluates how to communicate the link between anthropogenic climate change and extreme weather events, testing various phrasings for probability, frequency, intensity, and uncertainty. Findings indicate that while high-level decision makers often prefer technical percentages and 'probability' terms, the general public finds these confusing, preferring simpler terms like 'worse' or 'more often'. The study highlights significant translation challenges in Swahili and Hindi and recommends that attribution information be downscaled to high spatial resolutions and co-developed with local communication experts and trusted sources, such as national meteorological agencies.

The report argues that insurance promotes growth through two primary channels: risk mitigation (protecting assets and facilitating credit) and intermediation (mobilizing long-term capital for investment). It identifies a four-stage evolution path for insurance markets, noting that most sub-Saharan African countries are currently in the first two stages, where asset insurance dominates and the intermediation-for-growth role is not yet active. The transition to the third stage—retail expansion—is hindered by low income levels, high economic informalisation, and a shortage of actuarial skills. The authors recommend stage-appropriate interventions, such as developing contractual savings solutions for the informal sector and improving domestic professional capacity, to unlock the sector's potential to support capital markets and inclusive growth.

The report analyzes the climate pledges of 18 Asian countries, finding that while energy and transport are primary mitigation focuses, there are significant gaps in quantified climate finance requirements and the integration of gender and social inclusion. It highlights a regional disparity in disaster risk reduction planning, with South Asian countries generally showing higher levels of integration than their South-East Asian counterparts.

The 2015/16 El Niño caused the worst drought in Southern Africa in at least 35 years, leading to widespread food insecurity and agricultural losses. While regional coordination mechanisms like SADC and UN agencies provided frameworks for response, the document finds that national implementation capacity remains low across the region. Even in South Africa, the highest-capacity state, coordination challenges and resource gaps hampered effectiveness. The paper argues for a shift from reactive 'response' to proactive 'prevention' and the scaling of local, science-guided adaptation strategies to improve long-term climate readiness.

Between 2010 and 2014, US$748 million in climate finance primarily targeting climate change was committed to 15 Pacific SIDS, predominantly as grants. The funding was split between adaptation (59%) and mitigation (36%), with 72% sourced through bilateral channels, led by Australia. The vast majority of support (86%) was project-based, with a heavy concentration in creating 'enabling environments' and renewable energy. The analysis notes that Polynesian countries were more successful in attracting diverse funding than Micronesian countries, and highlights significant differences in flexibility and transaction costs between bilateral and multilateral funding sources.

The document examines how climate science, specifically attribution science, can be used to link extreme weather events to climate change and inform disaster risk management. It highlights a case study of the 2016/2017 drought in Kenya, noting that while human-induced climate change signals were not strong for rainfall, hotter temperatures influenced by climate change and La Nina patterns contributed to the event. The brief recommends increased investment in national and subnational capacities for climate services, better inter-agency coordination, and the alignment of early warning systems with forecast-based early action.

The document argues that climate change disproportionately affects women due to a synergy of biological and sociocultural factors, which can deepen existing social inequalities. It examines the 'state of the art' regarding gender and climate change through an intersectional lens and analyzes two national frameworks: Peru's Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (2016-2021) and Mexico's Special Climate Change Program (2014-2018). The author concludes that while international agreements have pushed Latin American states to create normative instruments, implementation is hindered by a lack of political will, insufficient budgeting, and a shortage of specialized technical capacity in both gender and environmental fields.

The December 2015 extreme rainfall event in Chennai, India, which saw a record 494 mm of rain in 24 hours, was determined by climate attribution studies to be a 1 in 600–2,500 year event not caused by anthropogenic global warming. While the event's rarity would have overwhelmed most cities, its impact was exacerbated by poor land-use planning, including the encroachment of wetlands and riverbeds, and a clogged drainage system. The document recommends that Indian cities integrate wetland protection, river basin approaches, and vulnerability-focused disaster action plans into their urban development to build resilience against increasing extreme weather trends.

The document argues that climate action must be integrated into macroeconomic planning and sectoral policies to achieve 'triple wins' for mitigation, adaptation, and poverty eradication. It highlights the necessity of political leadership, cross-government coordination, and the use of 'knowledge brokers' to translate scientific data into actionable policy. The report emphasizes that while international finance is a catalyst, domestic resource mobilisation and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies are critical for long-term sustainability. Case studies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America illustrate the importance of gender-sensitive approaches, participatory planning, and the role of non-state actors in scaling up local innovations to national levels.

The document describes a process for improving disaster response and recovery by integrating climate science and social analysis. It emphasizes that determining the influence of climate change on extreme events, combined with an analysis of exposure and vulnerability, allows policy makers and community members to make informed decisions to 'build back better' and ensure systems are resilient to future climate risks.

The 2015–16 drought in Ethiopia was an exceptionally rare event, likely occurring once every few hundred years in central and north-eastern regions, exacerbated by El Niño. It affected 9.7 million people, causing over 75% crop loss in most affected areas and the death of one million livestock. While the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) and government resources provided critical support, the event demonstrated that existing preparedness systems are limited when facing very extreme events. However, outcomes were better than the droughts of 1973 and 1984, indicating improved resilience.

The document details the methodology for the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2017, defining climate finance as capital flows for low-carbon and climate-resilient development. It specifies the inclusion of mitigation, adaptation, and dual-benefit finance while excluding fossil fuel-based lower-carbon generation and private R&D. The accounting scope focuses on annual financial commitments, covering grants, loans, equity, and balance sheet financing, while excluding risk management instruments and secondary market transactions to avoid double counting. It further defines the classification of public and private finance, the data sources used (such as BNEF and OECD), and the sectoral breakdowns for mitigation and adaptation activities.

Nepal is addressing its high vulnerability to climate change through a combination of national policies, such as the 2010 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and the 2011 Climate Change Policy, and decentralized, bottom-up initiatives like Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPAs). The country faces significant risks from increasing temperatures, rainfall variability, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), particularly affecting agriculture, water resources, and energy. While the Government of Nepal has demonstrated strong political leadership in establishing coordinating bodies like the Climate Change Council, there remains a gap in adaptation efforts for public health and urban settlements. Adaptation is heavily supported by international finance, with a strong focus on community-based projects in the agriculture and water sectors, though private sector participation remains minimal.

The Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, held in Rotterdam, convened over 1,700 experts to address the urgency of climate adaptation. The synthesis highlights a critical gap where risks are being created faster than they are reduced, calling for more radical and experimental adaptation strategies. Key findings emphasize the necessity of diverse partnerships, the integration of the private sector, and a shift in monitoring from measuring process to measuring progress. The report details thematic outcomes across ten areas, including urban infrastructure, food security, public health, and the Arctic, while advocating for a reinforcing relationship between research 'on' and 'for' adaptation.

The document analyzes climate finance commitments to OECS Member States between 2010 and 2015, finding that while US$ 101 million was committed, actual disbursement rates were extremely low (under 10% for most countries). The funding was dominated by multilateral sources and focused heavily on disaster-related adaptation, primarily delivered through short-term projects.

The document argues that development often exacerbates disaster risks due to poor decision-making and trade-offs. It introduces a typology of five trade-offs (power, equity, temporal, risk, and aggregation) to help decision-makers identify and manage these risks. The brief applies this typology to the 'Building Back Better' approach to post-disaster recovery, suggesting that inclusive, long-term, and holistic planning can lead to more resilient development.

The document examines the tension between 'mainstreaming' climate change adaptation—integrating it into development, business, and other policy sectors—and treating it as a specialized 'silo' of expertise. Drawing on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, it argues that neither approach is inherently superior; rather, the choice depends on the specific purpose and context. While mainstreaming promotes resource efficiency and policy coherence (particularly regarding poverty reduction), the author notes that it can make adaptation progress invisible, complicating monitoring, evaluation, and the tracking of earmarked finance. The brief highlights the expansion of mainstreaming into business operations and city planning, while recommending a pragmatic approach that recognizes the value of both integrated and stand-alone adaptation efforts.

The SEI Initiative on Sustainable Sanitation (SISS) promotes a 'whole-system perspective' to sanitation, moving beyond waste disposal toward resource recovery. The initiative focuses on low- and middle-income countries, integrating sanitation with broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to improve health, food security, and energy production. Key tools developed include REVAMP for urban resource mapping and the 'Clean and Green' model for rural communities. SISS emphasizes that sustainability depends on the synergy between technical hardware and enabling institutional, financial, and social factors.

The Reducing Disaster Risk Cluster at SEI Asia focuses on the intersection of development and disaster risk across Asia. Its work is organized into four thematic areas: regional cooperation, disaster recovery and resilience, empowering vulnerable groups, and the role of culture in risk. The cluster supports the implementation of the 2015 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals through research, policy engagement, and capacity-building, with specific projects targeting disability-inclusive DRR and long-term recovery analysis in Southeast Asia.

The document argues that gender inequality and unequal power relations frequently exclude women from environmental decision-making and the benefits of development programmes. It emphasizes that gender intersects with other vulnerabilities, such as disability and class, and calls for the integration of disaggregated gender data into technical models and climate finance to ensure equitable outcomes in the energy transition and natural resource management.