Search Climate Insights Directory

The document details how Sime Darby's palm oil operations in Liberia violate national laws and international human rights, specifically regarding land grabs and the lack of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). It highlights environmental risks to the Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem and lists European banks and pension funds providing financial support to the company.

The paper introduces a framework to analyze food system resilience to climate change, moving from the household as the locus of food security up to community and national scales. It proposes two 'spinwheel' tools: one for food security analysis and one for resilience analysis, integrating system, agent, and institutional criteria. The framework is applied through the CREFSCA project in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, utilizing the CRiSTAL tool for community-level assessments.

The report introduces a framework for assessing climate resilience in food systems, moving from the household level up to national policy. It presents two analytical tools: 'Roulette 1' for food security analysis and 'Roulette 2' for resilience analysis. The framework emphasizes that resilience is an emergent property of system interactions and suggests specific indicators for food utilization, access, availability, and supporting infrastructure. The tools are designed to be applied through participatory processes, such as the CRiSTAL-SAN tool, to help policymakers and local practitioners identify vulnerabilities and develop long-term adaptation strategies in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

The research paper examines the failure of the biofuels sector in Zambia, where government goals for poverty reduction and energy security were undermined by a lack of policy safeguards and infrastructure. It highlights how the drive for export-market cash crops like jatropha threatened local food security and how many foreign investors eventually abandoned their projects due to economic downturns and technical failures.

Friends of the Earth International challenges the World Bank's assertion that land lease deals in developing countries improve livelihoods, citing evidence that these deals often lead to community displacement, violent conflict, and increased hunger. The statement highlights that investors target poor countries with weak tenure security, primarily for export-oriented agribusiness and non-food crops, while the World Bank continues to provide political risk insurance for such projects and has been involved in controversial land deals in Uganda.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) asserts that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has failed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily because it has functioned as a mandate for corn ethanol. CATF argues that EPA's lifecycle analyses are flawed by relying on hypothetical 2022 production scenarios and ignoring current indirect land use change (ILUC) and the 'global rebound effect.' The document claims that cumulative GHG emissions from corn ethanol produced between 2010 and 2015 are 28% higher than those from gasoline. Furthermore, it states that the RFS contributes to global food insecurity by diverting crops and driving land conversion in tropical countries. CATF suggests transitioning to zero-carbon mobility fuels, such as ammonia, electricity, and synthetic hydrocarbons, rather than relying on biofuels.

The document reviews the history of the TICAD process from its inception in 1993 to the 2013 TICAD V summit, highlighting Japan's shift from a front-line aid provider to a partner navigating a landscape of increased investment from BRIC nations. It details the specific goals of previous conferences and outlines the three core themes of TICAD V: a robust and sustainable economy, an inclusive and resilient society, and peace and stability. The author argues that Japan needs to strengthen its internal institutional capacity and public relations to better differentiate its approach from those of the US, Europe, and China.

The report examines Kenya's efforts to mainstream climate change resilience into its development planning, highlighting the role of the National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP). It details the institutional arrangements, such as the National Climate Change Council, and the use of the 'Threshold 21' model to forecast climate impacts on sectors like agriculture and energy. While political will is evident, the report notes a heavy reliance on unpredictable external donor funding and a need for a stronger legislative backbone to support policy frameworks.

The document outlines a ten-step framework for negotiating agricultural investment contracts to ensure sustainable development, emphasizing the need for independent feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessments, and the protection of local land and water tenure rights. It warns against broad stabilization provisions and advocates for legally binding development obligations and community development agreements to prevent the negative impacts often associated with large-scale foreign land acquisitions.

The document outlines ten essential steps for negotiating sustainable agricultural investment contracts, emphasizing the need for thorough preparation, independent feasibility and impact studies, and the protection of local land and water rights. It warns against 'land grabbing' and the use of broad stabilization clauses, while advocating for Community Development Agreements and clear investor obligations regarding local employment and technology transfer.

The G-20 is not fully satisfying any of the five parts of the test, and therefore fails to reach its full potential as a global economic governance actor.

The document details a participatory vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Tri-National de la Sangha (TNS) landscape of Cameroon. It identifies that local populations face increasing vulnerability due to erratic rainfall patterns and shifting seasons, which primarily impact agricultural production and food security. While livelihood diversification and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) provide essential safety nets, the report highlights a weakness in collective action for social infrastructure. To strengthen adaptive capacity, the authors suggest improving NTFP commercialisation, introducing alternative livelihoods like apiculture, enhancing agricultural yields to reduce forest pressure, and implementing participatory monitoring of deforestation.

The assessment identifies that the village of Atom is highly vulnerable due to a combination of unpredictable rainfall, forest degradation, and a lack of alternative livelihoods. While traditional shifting cultivation provides some flexibility, the loss of labor due to urban migration and restrictions on hunting in protected areas have weakened local resilience. The document recommends implementing climate-smart agriculture and improving market linkages to enhance food security and adaptive capacity.

The author contends that the European food system is failing, as evidenced by the horsemeat scandal and the environmental impact of agriculture, which accounts for over 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The text advocates for a holistic approach to food policy that transcends narrow consumerist or ecological goals, emphasizing the need to place farmers at the center of change and promote food cooperatives to re-embed agriculture in society. It highlights a paradox where austerity leads to food bank reliance while obesity-related health costs rise, suggesting that food education and agro-ecological methods are essential for social justice and sustainable feeding of the global population.

The document details CDKN's technical assistance to Nepal, focusing on enhancing the country's role in UNFCCC negotiations, conducting economic impact assessments of climate change on water and agriculture, and integrating climate indicators into food security monitoring. It highlights Nepal's leadership of the LDC Group and its efforts to mainstream mountain climate issues globally, while also noting the importance of documenting local community-led adaptation and disaster response initiatives.

The report identifies synergies and trade-offs between climate change mitigation, adaptation, and food security in the agricultural sector. It evaluates existing international funding mechanisms—including carbon markets, multilateral funds, and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs)—and proposes the creation of domestic 'gatekeeper institutions' to coordinate resources and overcome implementation fragmentation for smallholders.

The report addresses the interdependence of water, energy, and food (WEF) security, arguing that sectoral silos lead to unsustainable outcomes and increased risks. It reviews existing conceptual frameworks from the World Economic Forum, ICIMOD, and the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference, noting a gap in practical implementation guidance. To fill this, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) introduces a place-based analysis framework centered on ecosystem goods and services (EGS) as the primary link between the three securities. This framework is embedded in a four-stage participatory process: assessing the current system, envisioning future landscape scenarios, developing an investment strategy, and transforming the system through adaptive management. The goal is to move from 'land-grabs' to 'land stewardship' by using natural capital as a hedge against socio-ecological risks.

The document describes how Zambia's Conservation Farming Unit and the World Agroforestry Centre have used 'evergreen agriculture' since the mid-1990s to combat food insecurity and climate vulnerability. This approach integrates specific tree species into annual food crop systems through maize agroforestry and conservation agriculture with trees, focusing on the affordable replenishment of soils using natural fertilisers and indigenous knowledge.

The report identifies Honduras as highly vulnerable to climate hazards, particularly droughts and tropical cyclones, which threaten the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and national development goals. It highlights significant gaps in climate data, institutional coordination, and adaptive capacity, while proposing a suite of local actions—such as improved water management and agroforestry—and national policy mainstreaming to reduce vulnerability.

The report identifies Honduras as highly vulnerable to climate risks, particularly in its small-scale agricultural sector, which is critical for food security and employment. It details current threats such as droughts, hurricanes, and floods, and projects a hotter, drier future that could significantly reduce maize and bean yields. The document evaluates the country's existing disaster risk and climate adaptation frameworks, noting a lack of integration between the two and significant gaps in meteorological data. It recommends a combination of local technical measures—such as improved water management, soil conservation, and crop diversification—and governance reforms to incorporate climate risk into national agricultural policies.