Search Climate Insights Directory

Pakistan faces a severe water security crisis driven by its reliance on transboundary freshwater sources, climate change, and poor management, with predictions of absolute water scarcity by 2025. This insecurity manifests as declining agricultural productivity, public health crises due to contaminated water, and social unrest in cities like Karachi. The document highlights that these vulnerabilities, alongside tensions with India over the Indus Basin Water Treaty, create fertile ground for insurgency and instability, thereby increasing risks to U.S. foreign policy and security interests. It recommends that the U.S. provide technical support for groundwater monitoring, facilitate water pricing systems, and promote soft engineering solutions like wetlands.

Friends of the Earth Haiti calls for a compensation fund and increased support for the Green Climate Fund to assist fragile economies recovering from climate-related disasters, citing Haiti's economic losses of over US$10bn over 12 years despite its minimal contribution to global warming.

The document outlines a multi-hazard study funded by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network for the Government of El Salvador, which modeled nearly 100 hazard scenarios affecting critical infrastructure. The study found that the long-term average annual loss to analyzed infrastructure is estimated at US$35.5 million, with earthquakes and floods accounting for nearly 80% of these losses and schools identified as the infrastructure type most at risk. The brief recommends using these estimates to prioritize retrofits, integrating results into local planning, expanding risk metrics, analyzing climate change impacts on specific hazards, and improving inter-ministerial collaboration.

The report identifies Burkina Faso's vulnerability to climate change due to its reliance on agriculture and livestock, and outlines the government's response through adaptation planning and the mainstreaming of climate considerations into priority sectors.

The analysis concludes that human-caused climate change increased the frequency of extreme three-day precipitation events like the August 2016 Louisiana downpours by at least 40% and increased their intensity by approximately 10%. Using observational data and high-resolution climate models (FLOR-FA and HiFLOR), the study found that such events are now more likely and intense than they were in 1900. While the specific local event was characterized as a 1-in-550 year occurrence, similar events now occur somewhere along the Central U.S. Gulf Coast region approximately once every 30 years.

Annapolis, Maryland, faces significant threats to its colonial-era architecture and tourism economy due to rising sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay and increasing storm surge intensity. The city has experienced severe flooding, notably during Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which caused over $120 million in damage to the U.S. Naval Academy. In response, the city is developing a Cultural Resource Hazard Mitigation plan, including a survey of 140 at-risk buildings in its Historic Landmark District, to preserve its eighteenth-century brick buildings and waterfront structures.

The document outlines a bottom-up risk assessment of seven infrastructure categories in El Salvador, estimating an average annual loss of US$35.5 million. It identifies earthquakes and floods as the primary drivers of loss and recommends integrating these findings into local planning and climate change adaptation strategies.

The report analyzes severe May 2016 rainstorms in Europe, finding that climate change significantly increased the probability of extreme 3-day rainfall in France's Seine and Loire basins, while results for southern Germany remained inconclusive.

The document details the development of the Madurai Action Plan for Blue-Green Infrastructure, a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to mitigate climate-related hazards like flooding and extreme heat. It emphasizes the role of intermediary organisations, such as the DHAN Foundation, in bridging the gap between government authorities and local communities through participatory methods like 'water walks'. The plan consists of 14 projects across six themes, focusing on sanitation, waste management, and the restoration of water bodies. The case study highlights the importance of integrated, long-term planning over sector-specific approaches and suggests that this model can inform the development of 'smart cities' in India by prioritising natural and cultural heritage alongside urban growth.

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.

The document outlines expected climate impacts in the Basque Country, including rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation, which threaten public health through heat waves, flooding, and increased pollutants. It identifies 26 adaptation measures, highlighting the cost-effectiveness and co-benefits of ecosystem-based solutions like Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) and behavioral changes in transport.

The report finds that residents in underserved Maryland neighborhoods perceive climate change risks similarly to the general state population but experience significantly higher rates of environmental harms, such as flooding and sewage overflows. While these communities support government action on climate and the creation of local resilience hubs, they report lower levels of social capital and resource accessibility. The study highlights a strong demand for energy bill assistance and community centers, suggesting that climate preparedness efforts should be integrated with broader community development and social resilience goals.

Mali is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its dependence on agriculture, low development levels, and political fragility. While the government has established a comprehensive policy framework—including the National Climate Change Policy and the Mali Climate Fund—integration of climate risks into sectoral and sub-national policies remains weak. Adaptation efforts are heavily concentrated in the agricultural and livestock sectors, with significant gaps in support for the fishing sector and pastoralists in the northern regions. Most adaptation projects are funded by international donors and focus on institutional capacity building and food security.

Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding, and cyclones, leading the government to establish early adaptation frameworks like the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP). While the country has created dedicated institutions and funds, such as the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF), adaptation efforts have predominantly focused on large-scale infrastructure in coastal urban areas, often neglecting sectors like livestock and regions prone to drought. Despite being a major recipient of international climate finance, disbursement remains fragmented, and there is a significant gap between planned budgets and actual leveraged funds.

The document analyzes the trade-offs between Lesotho's water exports via the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) and its domestic needs for water, agriculture, and industry. Using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system, it finds that while climate change introduces uncertainty in precipitation, strategic investments in the Polihali Dam and the Lesotho Lowlands Water Supply Scheme (LLWSS) can simultaneously secure water transfers to South Africa and improve domestic water and food security.

The document addresses the challenge of communicating climate change during the aftermath of Storm Desmond in the UK. It argues that while immediate human tragedy takes priority, it is scientifically appropriate and necessary to link extreme rainfall to climate change to avoid 'starting from scratch' after every disaster. Based on a workshop with experts from Cardiff University and the ESRC, the text suggests that 'trusted peers' are the most effective messengers for affected communities and emphasizes the need to invest in 'social infrastructure' and climate literacy before disasters occur to build long-term resilience.

The study investigated the December 1, 2015, rainfall event in Chennai, where some stations recorded up to 494 mm of rain in 24 hours, causing an estimated US $3 billion in economic costs. Using observational data and regional climate models, researchers found no detectable effect of human-induced climate change on the probability of this extreme one-day rainfall. The analysis suggests that the cooling effect of aerosols in the western Bay of Bengal likely counteracted greenhouse gas warming, while non-anthropogenic factors, such as El Niño and sea surface temperature anomalies, played a more significant role.

California is facing a critical water supply shift as climate change depletes traditional snowmelt-fed reservoirs, leading to an increased reliance on groundwater. The document highlights that snow is melting up to 30 days earlier than in the mid-twentieth century and that the state's surface-water storage is not designed for a future of rain-dominant precipitation. This has led to the over-pumping of aquifers, particularly in the Central Valley. To address this, the document advocates for the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014, which requires local agencies to develop sustainability plans by 2020. The authors propose capturing floodwaters to recharge aquifers, which would simultaneously reduce flooding risks and provide a buffer against future droughts.

The report examines climate change impacts in the Karamoja region of Uganda through case studies of three villages: Oryeotyene North ward (agricultural zone), Nakayot (agro-pastoralist zone), and Lopedot (pastoral zone). It finds that recent droughts and floods have caused production losses of 50% to 100% for many households, with the 2014 drought being particularly severe. The study estimates that without adaptation, future extreme events could lead to significant losses in crop and livestock value by 2050, while long-term temperature and rainfall trends may reduce yields for maize and beans. Livestock is identified as providing greater resilience than crops, as animals can be moved to other regions during crises. Recommended adaptation priorities include improving water availability, capacity building, and crop diversification.

The study examines the vulnerability of Arabica coffee in Bududa, Uganda, to climate variability and projected climate change. It finds that yields have declined due to poor management and extreme weather, including droughts and landslides. The report argues that transitioning from 'Business as Usual' (BAU) to Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)—defined here as planting shade trees, mulching, and trench construction—significantly improves the internal rate of return (IRR) for farmers, even under future climate scenarios. While costly, the study concludes that a combined programme of CSA and institutional support is economically justified, with a projected IRR of around 36%.