Search Climate Insights Directory
1,894 results
The drought in Kenya, 2016–2017
The 2016–2017 drought in Kenya, declared a national emergency in February 2017, was primarily driven by sea surface temperature patterns, specifically La Niña. While attribution analysis found no strong climate change signal in rainfall trends, it concluded that temperatures during the drought were hotter than they would have been without human-induced climate change. The drought severely impacted 23 counties, leaving up to 4 million people in need of food aid by April 2017, though it was less extreme than the 2010–2011 event.
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Document type: Research paper
Untold Stories of People Impacted by Climate Change
The document highlights the vulnerability of the Asia Pacific region to climate change, specifically focusing on how extreme weather and slow-onset disasters drive migration. Through case studies in Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, it illustrates the loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, and social disruption facing marginalized communities. It concludes that current legal systems fail to recognize 'climate refugees' and urges governments to implement human-rights-based resettlement and adaptation strategies.
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Document type: Report
Building a Climate-Resilient City: Agriculture and food security
The document argues that strengthening local food systems increases resilience to climate-driven supply shocks. It recommends that cities protect agricultural land through zoning and greenbelts, embrace soil-free technologies like vertical farming, and promote redundancy through municipal composting and diversified water sources. It also suggests supporting the 'cottage food industry' and community food centres to enhance local resourcefulness and food security.
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Document type: Briefing
What Is the Link Between Hunger and Migration?
The research finds that economic growth is the strongest driver of reduced international migration, while there is no discernible direct relationship between hunger levels or agricultural productivity alone and migration flows. The authors argue that to reduce migration, investments must move beyond farm-level productivity to create broader economic opportunities and off-farm activities in rural areas.
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Document type: Research paper
Key to the Horn Ethiopia’s prospects to 2030
The document analyzes Ethiopia's rapid economic growth and human development progress since 1991, while highlighting persistent gaps in basic service access and agricultural productivity. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system, it compares a 'Current Path' forecast against various intervention scenarios, concluding that an integrated approach across agriculture, education, health, and governance is necessary to reach lower-middle-income status by 2025.
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Document type: Policy brief
Adaptation Futures 2016: Practices and Solutions
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.
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Document type: Report
Understanding social equity and sustainability interactions in the Sustainable Development Goals: Gender differences in food security
The document examines the intersection of gender equality and food security, arguing that gender discrimination is a primary driver of hunger. Through a literature review of 27 articles, it finds that gender-related policies typically have a positive impact on food security, while food security interventions can sometimes constrain women's positions within the family if social norms are not addressed. The brief highlights that women and female-headed households are more prone to food insecurity due to limited access to assets, land, and decision-making power. It calls for gender-differentiated data and a holistic approach to power relationships to ensure that sustainability goals are achieved without leaving women and girls behind.
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Document type: Briefing
CLIMATE FINANCE IN THE PACIFIC: AN OVERVIEW OF FLOWS TO THE REGION
Between 2010 and 2014, the Solomon Islands received US$42.4 million in grant-equivalent finance specifically targeting climate change, with a primary focus on adaptation. Major contributors included the Global Environment Facility, Japan, and the Adaptation Fund, with funding directed toward disaster prevention, forestry, and water policy. Additionally, the country received US$6.70 million for solar power development between 2015 and 2016.
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Document type: Research paper
Agricultural insurance and slow-onset events in the Mekong region: Issues and options for moving forward
The document argues that while agricultural insurance can provide quick financial support after sudden disasters, it is ill-suited for slow-onset events like sea-level rise and gradual temperature increases. In Viet Nam and Thailand, insurance programmes have struggled with financial sustainability, low voluntary uptake, and high compensation rates. The brief suggests moving toward holistic risk management, including micro-finance, sovereign risk sharing, and transformative agricultural adaptations.
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Document type: Briefing
Guatemala
Guatemala faces severe ecological and societal challenges, including multiyear droughts and a lack of centralized water governance, which exacerbate poverty and food insecurity. These conditions, combined with rampant corruption and violence, drive migration toward the U.S. border. The document argues that the U.S. should leverage strategic frameworks like CARSI and the Alliance for Prosperity to support Guatemala's institutional reform and the development of a comprehensive legal framework for water governance to mitigate these security risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE
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.
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Document type: Executive summary
Food Loss and Waste: Facts and Futures
The report highlights that South Africa wastes approximately 10 million tonnes of food annually, representing a third of its total production. This waste results in significant economic losses of R61.5 billion and substantial environmental degradation, including the waste of 1.7 km3 of water and the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills. The document identifies that most waste occurs at the pre-consumer stage, particularly on farms, and calls for a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of halving food waste by 2030.
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Document type: Report
fact sheet
WWF South Africa is implementing a collaborative programme to transition smallholder farmers toward conservation agriculture, focusing on practices like minimum soil disturbance and diversified crop rotations. This initiative aligns with South Africa's commitments to the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals, targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the restoration of degraded landscapes. The strategy emphasizes capacity building, research, and the use of both formal and informal market incentives to integrate smallholders into value chains, with a specific geographic priority on KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape due to high rates of soil erosion and the presence of strategic water source areas.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Champion CSA Screening Methodology
The document details a screening process to identify champion Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices in Nepal, utilizing a combination of on-farm trials, household surveys, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The methodology evaluates technologies based on three pillars—food security, adaptation, and mitigation—alongside Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). The process resulted in a final list of 17 champion CSAs, with specific allocations for the high-hill, mid-hill, and Terai regions. Findings indicate that farmers prioritize food security above all other criteria, and that packaging multiple technologies is more effective for building resilience than standalone practices.
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Document type: Report
Climate models: What they show us and how they can be used in planning
The document provides a guide on Global Climate Models (GCMs), distinguishing them from weather forecasts and explaining how they use socio-economic scenarios to project long-term climate trends. It emphasizes that while GCMs have coarse resolution and struggle with localized rainfall patterns—especially in Africa due to data gaps and complex features like the Congo Basin—they are sufficient for strategic planning over 5 to 40 years. The brief warns against the 'myth' that downscaled projections are inherently better, noting that additional manipulation can increase uncertainty.
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Document type: Policy brief
Private Investments and Agriculture
The document assesses the dual nature of large-scale agricultural investments, noting that while they can create employment and market opportunities, they often lead to water depletion, land tenure insecurity, and disproportionate burdens on women. It highlights that water demand for irrigation in investment areas can rise by 50% and that weak institutional enforcement often fails to protect local communities. The author advocates for a 'social tenure model' and the use of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to frame investment design to ensure sustainability and inclusivity.
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Document type: Briefing
The Case for Presidential Action to Reform the Farm and Food System
The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that US farm and food policies are uncoordinated and often work at cross-purposes, leading to economic stagnation in rural areas, environmental degradation, and high public health costs. The brief urges the Trump administration to realign these policies to ensure access to healthy, sustainably produced food while supporting the livelihoods of farmers and food system workers.
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Document type: Policy brief
AFRICA’S CLIMATE
The report assesses climate variability and future projections across central, eastern, western, and southern Africa, highlighting a critical gap in observational data and a lack of consensus among climate models. It details regional risks—such as the 'east African climate change paradox' and the vulnerability of the Congo rainforest—while providing country-specific analysis for Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The document emphasizes the need for improved high-resolution modelling and better communication of scientific uncertainty to support adaptation in agriculture, water, energy, and urban infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
African urban futures
Africa is experiencing unprecedented urban growth, with its urban population expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2050. While this transition offers economic potential, it is occurring alongside slow structural transformation and pervasive poverty. The paper highlights the rise of megacities—such as Lagos, Cairo, and Kinshasa—and warns that without integrated urban planning and inclusive economic growth, cities will face increasing slum proliferation and urban violence.
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Document type: Research paper
Is thE LIVEstOCk sECtOR IN sOuthERN AFRICA PREPAREd FOR CLIMAtE ChANGE?
The document examines the vulnerability of Southern Africa's livestock sector to increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall, highlighting the severe impact of the 2015/2016 drought. It argues that while regional frameworks like the SADC Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan exist, implementation remains sporadic and donor-driven. The author advocates for a shift toward indigenous, drought-tolerant breeds—such as Nguni cattle—and the implementation of dedicated support systems for small-scale farmers to ensure food security and sustainable production.
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Document type: Policy brief