Search Climate Insights Directory

The Global Commission on Adaptation's report, 'Adapt Now', presents climate adaptation as a human, environmental, and economic imperative. It argues that current responses are insufficient and calls for a 'triple dividend' approach—avoiding losses, gaining economic productivity, and securing social-environmental benefits. The report details specific strategies for food security, natural environments, water management, urban areas, infrastructure, and disaster risk management, while proposing a 15-month 'Year of Action' to jump-start these transitions through eight dedicated Action Tracks.

The COP 24 Climate Resilience roundtable emphasized the urgent need to scale up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The document outlines a roadmap of priority actions from 2020 to 2050, advocating for people-centered, nature-based solutions and the development of shared resilience metrics to attract private sector capital. Key commitments include the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) and various financial pledges from the Nordic Development Fund and Bank of America.

The proposal seeks USD 10 million in GCF grants to improve the capacity of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in 14 Pacific Island Countries. The project focuses on four components: improving governance and enabling environments, strengthening air and marine navigation services, enhancing climate prediction tools (specifically the PICASO software), and project governance. It aims to address critical gaps in human and technological resources, lack of user feedback on forecasts, and insufficient observation sites, aligning with the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy 2017-2026.

The project aims to support 40,000 to 60,000 people in the Brazilian Amazon by replacing diesel-based energy with solar power and implementing adaptation strategies to combat floods, droughts, and sea-level rise.

The DEFIS programme is a 10-year initiative (2018–2028) in Southern Madagascar designed to transform the agricultural sector from subsistence to market-oriented production. With a total indicative cost of USD 250 million, the programme targets 1.6 million beneficiaries across eight regions. It focuses on three main components: enhancing the productivity and resilience of agricultural and livestock systems through water mobilization and climate-smart inputs; developing inclusive supply chains by strengthening producer organizations and improving post-harvest infrastructure; and providing institutional support, including the extension of a drought early warning system. The programme specifically targets women and youth, aiming for 30% representation in its 320,000 beneficiary family agricultural enterprises.

The project aims to protect the Koubri and Bakata municipalities in Burkina Faso from rainwater floods and climate shocks. It proposes a 9.99 million USD investment to plant 10 million trees, protect nine dams, and improve rural infrastructure. The initiative focuses on institutional capacity building, physical investments in agro-forestry and water supply, and environmental management to benefit approximately 100,000 residents.

The document outlines a $63 million project in Nepal designed to mitigate the risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and other climate-induced hazards. It proposes strengthening the institutional capacity of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) and other agencies to provide risk information and early warning services. Key interventions include the lowering of four high-risk glacial lakes, the construction of check dams, and the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) through community forestry. The project aims to benefit 327,500 people, particularly indigenous communities, by integrating centralized and community-based early warning systems and developing sustainable financing mechanisms for monitoring networks.

The document details the implementation of South Asia's first Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, which has since influenced 17 cities and 11 Indian states. It outlines the multifaceted threats of heat waves—including health risks, economic productivity loss, and infrastructure damage—and provides a framework for preparedness through early warning systems, public awareness, medical capacity building, and long-term urban adaptation like 'cool roofs'. The guide emphasizes the roles of political will, inter-agency partnerships, and scientific evidence in successfully scaling these interventions.

The report examines the utility of extreme event attribution (EEA) through interviews with government officials and NGO representatives in Ethiopia, Kenya, and India. While generally viewed positively, the practical application of EEA varies by country and sector. In Ethiopia and Kenya, EEA is seen as a critical tool for securing international climate finance and improving drought early warning systems. In India, stakeholders expressed more skepticism, emphasizing the need for a 'critical mass' of studies to identify trends before the science can effectively influence national mitigation or adaptation agendas. Across all regions, significant barriers persist, including the high technical complexity of EEA outputs, a lack of predictive capacity for future events, and the need for down-scaled, non-technical communication to reach local communities and farmers.

The document argues that Tanzania's climate resilience is hindered by a lack of national policy, poor integration of climate issues into sectoral plans, and a significant disconnect between national-level data and local farming needs. It highlights the vulnerability of the agricultural sector, which supports over 80% of the population, to increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall. Key recommendations include decentralising meteorological services, increasing the number of trained climate scientists, and strengthening public-private partnerships to provide credit and insurance for adaptive technologies.

The IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) report outlines strategic recommendations to improve the visibility, engagement, and financing of science-policy linkages. It details a December 2016 workshop in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where researchers and decision-makers collaborated on five thematic areas: health and diseases, land use and hydrology, weather forecasting and early warning, coastal and marine management, and urban monitoring. The report advocates for increased IAI Directorate capacity, specifically in outreach and fundraising, and suggests strengthening participation in international conventions and private sector engagement to enhance the application of scientific data in regional governance.

The report outlines the SPAC's efforts to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and decision-making in the Americas. It provides strategic recommendations for the IAI regarding visibility, policy engagement, and financing, while detailing the outcomes of a multi-sectoral workshop in Argentina that integrated scientific research on health, coasts, land use, weather forecasting, and urban environments into local governance.

The report inventories over 125 submissions of digital technologies designed to build resilience, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. It categorizes these tools by technology type, scale of impact, supported systems, and primary focus (preparedness, recurring event response, or catastrophic event response). The inventory details specific projects, such as the use of satellite data for flood risk in India, mobile health programs in India, and 3D printing for medical supplies in Nepal, highlighting a strong trend toward pro-poor focus and the use of mobile-based communication (SMS, IVR) and geospatial data (GIS, remote sensing) to support vulnerable populations.

The document argues that increasing hazards, such as sea level rise, and ongoing development necessitate a re-evaluation of coastal disaster risk reduction in Europe. It advocates for a combination of prevention, mitigation, and preparedness measures, supported by applied research to enhance forecasting and risk assessment. The RISC-KIT project developed and demonstrated tools across ten European case study sites to identify high-risk areas and evaluate the effectiveness of DRR measures.

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 author contends that traditional attempts to control water through artificial solutions have created vulnerabilities that are now being exposed by a changing climate. The document advocates for a 'resilience mindset' in water management, particularly within humanitarian and development funding, moving away from short-term recovery toward long-term capacity for communities to thrive despite recurrent water challenges. This approach emphasizes the use of predictive models, early warning systems, and the integration of indigenous knowledge. To implement this, the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has focused on the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and South and Southeast Asia, and has launched a Water Window Challenge with a $10 million commitment from the Z Zurich Foundation to fund innovative flood-resilience solutions.

The report reviews the SDMPs of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, and Uttarakhand, finding that while they are sophisticated in disaster response, they lack sufficient focus on risk reduction, socioeconomic vulnerability, and climate change integration. It recommends clarifying institutional roles, operationalising risk-reduction funds, and aligning state plans more closely with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

The Global Resilience Partnership highlights the severe humanitarian risks posed by a strong El Niño phase, citing specific crises in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and India, and advocates for adaptive measures such as early warning systems and innovative financing.

Burkina Faso is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture and livestock, which employ approximately 80-90% of its workforce. The country faces risks from rising temperatures, rainfall variability, and extreme events like floods and droughts. While the government has established a National Adaptation Plan (2015) and a coordinating body (CONEDD), adaptation efforts remain heavily concentrated in the agricultural sector, with limited integration into health or urban planning. Adaptation is largely driven by international funding and regional projects, with a significant gap in subnational guidance and local government capacity.

The document argues that the Sendai Framework's emphasis on multi-level collaboration, learning, and innovation aligns with adaptive governance, which can help manage the complexity of social-ecological systems. While the Framework provides a window for transformative change, its implementation faces hurdles including high operational costs, power imbalances, and the lack of a dedicated funding mechanism.