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Building Anticipatory Governance in SADC: Post-COVID-19 Conflict and Defence Outlook
The report argues that SADC's current reactive, bureaucratic, and state-centric approach to security is insufficient for the region's complex threat landscape. It proposes the adoption of anticipatory governance—a non-predictive approach using foresight and multi-stakeholder engagement—to move from reactive crisis management to proactive strategic planning. The author highlights the Cabo Delgado insurgency as a primary example of SADC's failure to act timeously and recommends a comprehensive regional security sector review and the establishment of a P/CVE unit to build adaptive capacities.
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Document type: Research paper
nprs-climate-guide
The guide advises journalists to frame climate change as a factor that makes extreme weather worse rather than a sole cause. It provides key data on global warming, noting a 2 degree Fahrenheit increase since pre-industrial times and the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The text details how climate change intensifies heat waves, floods, and hurricanes—noting that hurricanes now lose only 50% of their strength in the first 24 hours after landfall compared to 75% fifty years ago. It also highlights risks to biodiversity, the role of agriculture in producing a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the scientific necessity of eliminating new carbon emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Guide
India’s Power Sector Must Plan for Climate Resilience
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.
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Document type: Briefing
climate change in the american mind
A March 2021 survey of 1,037 American adults reveals that 70% believe global warming is happening and 57% attribute it primarily to human activity. While 64% of respondents express worry about global warming and 65% feel a personal responsibility to reduce it, social engagement remains low, with 67% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in understanding scientific consensus, as only 22% recognize that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Perceived risks are highest for future generations and plant and animal species, while a majority of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate to high risk to their local communities.
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Document type: Report
climate change in the american mind
The March 2021 report 'Climate Change in the American Mind' finds that 70% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 57% attributing it primarily to human activity. While 64% of respondents express worry about global warming and 65% feel a personal responsibility to reduce it, social engagement remains low, with 67% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in scientific literacy, as only 22% of Americans recognize that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Perceived risks are highest for future generations (71%) and plant and animal species (71%), while 55% of Americans believe extreme weather poses a moderate to high risk to their local community over the next decade.
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Document type: Report
How Could Trade Policy Better Address Food System Shocks?
The report analyzes three types of food system shocks—the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2015–2016 Southern African drought, and the US-China trade war—to argue that existing WTO rules are insufficient to prevent harmful trade measures during crises. It highlights how climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events, further destabilizing food markets. The authors propose 13 recommendations centered on four objectives: ensuring food access for the poor, safeguarding farmer livelihoods, improving market functions through sustainable resource allocation, and restoring multilateral trust. Key proposals include banning export restrictions on humanitarian aid, cutting high tariff peaks, and establishing a special safeguard mechanism for low-income countries.
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Document type: Report
Comment la politique commerciale pourrait-elle mieux faire face aux chocs du système alimentaire ?
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.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change FAQs
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.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change FAQ
The document explains that human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, have increased average global temperatures by approximately one degree Celsius since 1880. It details the resulting impacts, including rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and more severe extreme weather events. The text outlines strategies for mitigation and adaptation, discusses the role of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and describes the efforts of the United States, corporations, and the United Nations to address the crisis.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Assessing Physical Risks from Climate Change: Do Companies and Financial Organizations Have Sufficient Guidance?
The paper evaluates physical climate risk guidance from six major disclosure initiatives (CDP, CDSB, NFRD, GRI, SASB, and TCFD) against IPCC standards. It finds significant gaps in terminology, hazard coverage, and the availability of quantitative metrics, suggesting that private sector entities may be overlooking critical risks. The authors propose the development of open-source scientific translations, peer-reviewed datasets, and a standardized science-based risk assessment framework to improve corporate resilience and financial decision-making.
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Document type: Research paper
Voices from the Frontline of Covid-19
The report documents community-led responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate risks across the Global South, highlighting the role of social capital, women's leadership, and local innovation in maintaining development progress. It identifies specific grassroots solutions—such as community grain banks, urban kitchen gardens, and village savings groups—and argues for a shift in external support toward flexible, locally-led financing and partnerships that recognise the expertise of community-based organisations.
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Document type: Report
Climate, Environmental, and Health Impacts of Fossil Fuels
The document details the 'externalities' of fossil fuels—costs not reflected in market prices—across climate, environmental, and health dimensions. It highlights significant U.S. impacts, including $606.9 billion in extreme weather costs (2016-2020) and 350,000 premature deaths in 2018. It also emphasizes the disproportionate burden on communities of color and low-income areas, such as 'Cancer Alley' in Louisiana. Proposed policy solutions include eliminating subsidies, increasing the social cost of carbon, implementing a federal clean electricity standard, and establishing carbon pricing.
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Document type: Fact sheet
That Was This Year: A Look Back at 2020’s Worst Climate Impacts
The document details a series of record-breaking climate events in 2020, including an unprecedented number of billion-dollar disasters in the US, extreme wildfires in California and Colorado, and devastating tropical cyclones in the Philippines and the Bay of Bengal. It highlights that 2020 was on pace to be the second-hottest year on record and notes the acceleration of Arctic sea ice retreat. Experts cited in the text emphasize that these events are driven by human-caused climate change and call for urgent climate action and funding for affected poor populations.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change in the American Mind
The December 2020 survey indicates that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it to human activities. While 66% express worry and 65% feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, as 62% rarely or never discuss the topic with family and friends. The public perceives global warming primarily as an environmental (80%) and scientific (73%) issue, and a majority believe it is already harming people in the U.S. and affecting national weather patterns.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The December 2020 survey reveals that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it to human activity. While 66% express worry and 65% feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, as 62% rarely or never discuss the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights a gap in scientific literacy, with only 20% aware that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Americans primarily view global warming as an environmental (80%) and scientific (73%) issue, and a majority believe it is already harming people in the U.S. and affecting national weather.
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Document type: Report
Ocean Blues or a Bright Blue Future
The authors contend that the ocean is a critical but overlooked factor in global health, security, and economic stability. They highlight how climate change drives systemic risks—including sea-level rise, extreme weather, and collapsing fisheries—while asserting that sustainable ocean-based industries like offshore wind and seaweed harvesting can facilitate a transition to a cleaner economy. The text calls for multilateral collaboration and science-based management to ensure the resilience of marine ecosystems and human populations.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Matters in the Newsroom
The survey of SEJ members reveals a high level of interest and activity in climate reporting, with 86% having reported on a climate story in the past year. While journalists express confidence in understanding climate impacts, they identify a lack of time for field reporting as the primary obstacle. Trust in scientific bodies remains high, but trust in US government agencies has significantly declined. The report also evaluates the reach of the 'Climate Matters in the Newsroom' initiative, noting that 40% of members are aware of it and many are interested in further training via webinars.
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Document type: Report
Integration of Climate Data in the SAVi Roads Model
The document details how climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) is integrated into the SAVi Roads model to improve the analysis of climate-related risks. It focuses on three primary impacts: precipitation effects on road lifetime, weather effects on injury accidents, and precipitation-based road runoff. Simulation results for a 1,000 km road network between 2020 and 2100 show that CDS integration reveals higher cumulative road disruption, an increase in injury accidents, and significantly higher stormwater runoff compared to a 'no climate' baseline. The economic analysis indicates that the most substantial cost increase stems from stormwater management, totaling an additional USD 2.06 billion over 80 years.
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Document type: Report
How does the American public perceive climate disasters?
Based on 2018 and 2019 survey data, the study finds that 64% of Americans believe global warming affects U.S. weather. Risk perceptions are heavily influenced by local geography, with residents in the West fearing droughts and wildfires, those in the Midwest fearing flooding, and those in the East and Southeast fearing hurricanes. While 56% of Americans view extreme weather as a high or moderate risk to their community over the next decade, the specific concerns vary by state, often reflecting local experiences with 'Billion Dollar Disaster Events'.
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Document type: Research paper
Blackouts and California’s Clean Energy Transition
The policy brief addresses the 2020 California blackouts, refuting claims that renewable energy caused the outages. It identifies climate-driven extreme heat and the failure of gas generators as contributing factors. The author argues that a diverse mix of resources, including battery storage and green hydrogen, is necessary to ensure 21st-century grid reliability.
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Document type: Policy brief