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Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly in its water, agriculture, and energy sectors, due to high sensitivity to climate risks and low adaptive capacity. While the government has initiated policy frameworks and is developing a national adaptation strategy, progress is hindered by institutional capacity limitations. Adaptation efforts are currently driven largely by the Pilot Program on Climate Resilience (PPCR), with a strong focus on infrastructure and technical capacity, though rural communities and the health sector remain underserved.

Bhutan has a constitutional mandate to maintain 60% forest cover and manages a connected network of 10 protected areas covering 5 million acres. However, this system faces threats from poaching, illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, and a declining youth population in rural areas. Additionally, the region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing melting glaciers and intense rainstorms. To address these challenges and a decrease in foreign aid, WWF and the Bhutanese government have launched 'Bhutan for Life', a funding initiative with a goal of $35 million to $45 million. This fund uses a project finance model to support enforcement, wildlife monitoring, and community job creation, transitioning the country toward a self-sustaining conservation business plan over 15 years.

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly through erratic monsoons and glacier melt affecting the Indus River system, despite being a low emitter of greenhouse gases. Recent events include devastating floods in 2010 that displaced 20 million people and more recent flash floods in northern regions like Chitral. In response, Pakistan has established the Ministry of Climate Change and adopted a National Climate Change Policy in 2012. CDKN is collaborating with various sectors to promote proactive disaster planning, low-carbon development in manufacturing hubs like Sialkot, and micro-insurance for flood-affected populations.

Bhutan has a constitutional mandate to maintain 60% forest cover and manages a connected network of 10 protected areas covering 5 million acres. However, this system faces threats from poaching, illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, and a declining workforce as youth migrate to cities. Additionally, the region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing melting glaciers and intense rainstorms. To address these challenges and a decrease in foreign aid, WWF and the Bhutanese government have launched 'Bhutan for Life', a project finance model seeking $35 million to $45 million to fund enforcement, wildlife monitoring, and community support over 15 years until the system becomes self-sustaining.

The report examines the vulnerability of Asia's High Mountains (AHM) to climate change, highlighting risks from glacial melt, extreme weather, and water scarcity. It details the varying responses of mountain ranges—such as the retreat of most glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya versus stability in the Karakorum—and analyzes the resulting threats to human health, agriculture, and infrastructure. The document evaluates current adaptation strategies, including livelihood diversification and community-based water management, while identifying critical data gaps in permafrost and groundwater storage. It concludes with recommendations for regional cooperation in disaster risk management and the synchronization of national and local climate policies.

The report identifies floods and flash floods as the most damaging climate-related disasters in Kyrgyzstan, with significant risks concentrated in the south-western Oblasts of Batken, Jalal Abad, and Osh. It finds that Batken Oblast faces the highest overall risk when combining monetary damage and livelihood impacts. While broad correlations between precipitation and disasters were not found, a strong link exists between the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) and cereal yields in Chui and Talas Oblasts. The assessment also highlights gender-specific vulnerabilities, noting that women in certain regions experience higher livelihood impacts from landslides and snowfall. A perception survey in Suusamyr Valley revealed a gap between local and expert understandings of climate risks, with residents prioritizing immediate economic needs over long-term climate mitigation.

The document examines how Bolivia's indigenous populations use traditional knowledge for weather forecasting and resource management to adapt to climate change, while highlighting the risks of this knowledge disappearing. It assesses the Law of Mother Earth as a tool for protecting natural resources but notes its lack of enforcement mechanisms. The brief recommends fostering partnerships between scientists and indigenous knowledge holders to improve adaptive strategies and calls for increased indigenous participation in national and international climate policy.

The document examines the critical water crisis in El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia, where rapid population growth and climate-driven glacier retreat are reducing water supplies. Using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) tool, the Stockholm Environment Institute identifies that current systems are highly vulnerable, with the El Alto system predicted to fail almost permanently between 2011 and 2030. The briefing recommends a combination of new reservoir construction (such as Khotia Khota and Kaluyo), significant reductions in urban and agricultural water leaks, and improved industrial wastewater recycling to build resilience. It emphasizes the need for watershed-based coordination and community participation in planning to manage the projected population increase to two million people in El Alto by 2050.

The Andean snowpack is the primary water source for households, agriculture, industry, hydropower, and ecosystems in semi-arid central Chile and central-western Argentina. Analysis of regional composite data shows that winter snowpack and river streamflow are closely related and influenced by large-scale Pacific surface temperature changes. High snowpack and streamflow coincide with warm El Niño events, while most extreme dry years occur during cold La Niña events. Additionally, shifts in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in the mid-1940s and 1976-77 correspond to a 27% decrease and 28% increase in mean annual river discharges, respectively, suggesting the PDO causes low-frequency hydrologic variations. While lower PDO values in the late 1990s were not matched by streamflow records—possibly due to melting glaciers—the interplay between ENSO and PDO is highlighted as critical for improving water scarcity forecasts under a changing climate.

The document examines the relationship between Pacific Ocean temperature patterns and water availability in the semi-arid regions of central Chile and west-central Argentina. It identifies that winter snowpack is the primary water source for these areas and is strongly influenced by ENSO and PDO cycles. Specifically, El Niño events correlate with high snow and flow, while La Niña events generally correlate with dry years. The document also notes that shifts in the PDO in the 1940s and 1970s coincided with significant changes in average river flows, suggesting that multidecadal PDO behavior drives low-frequency hydrological variations in the region.

The IAI Strategic Plan (2010) establishes a framework for addressing global environmental change in the Americas through interdisciplinary research, regional networking, and science-policy dialogue. The plan emphasizes a shift toward 'needs-driven' science that integrates natural and social sciences to address vulnerability, adaptation, and mitigation. Key goals include enhancing capacity building for young scientists, promoting equitable access to research tools across the continent, and implementing adaptive management to respond to rapid environmental changes. The IAI aims to serve as an interface between the scientific community and decision-makers to support evidence-based policy and sustainable development, particularly for populations in developing countries most vulnerable to environmental risks.

The document argues that effective climate change adaptation requires accurate data on climate risks, population vulnerability, and adaptation options. It categorizes information needs into three frameworks: responsive policymaking for sudden disasters (e.g., flooding in Pakistan), proactive planning for long-term threats (e.g., sea level rise in West African coastal cities), and robust planning for uncertain outcomes (e.g., glacier melt in Europe). The briefing seeks to determine what specific information sets, including non-climatic data, are sufficient to advance interventions and which stakeholders should define these needs.

The report examines the intersection of water scarcity and power generation in South and Southeast Asia, arguing that while regulatory protections have historically shielded shareholders, increasing water stress driven by climate change and demographic pressure creates material financial risks. It introduces a risk exposure framework based on business models, water dependency, and water security, and highlights that a significant portion of existing and planned capacity in the region is located in water-stressed areas.

The report identifies five critical elements for effective climate adaptation decision-making: public engagement, decision-relevant information, institutional design, planning tools, and resources. It argues that governments must move from reactive disaster relief to proactive risk management, accounting for extremes, heightened variability, and long-term change. The document emphasizes that vulnerability—shaped by social, economic, and geographic factors—determines the impact of climate change, necessitating targeted interventions for the most disadvantaged. Through various case studies and research, it recommends integrating climate risks into existing sectoral policies and utilizing flexible, robust, and durable decision-making frameworks to manage uncertainty.

The report documents a pattern of environmental destruction, human rights abuses, and community resistance associated with Barrick Gold's operations across several continents. It highlights specific cases of water depletion, toxic pollution, and violent police repression of protesters, while critiquing the lack of binding legal frameworks in Canada to hold its mining corporations accountable abroad.

The document highlights a gap in policy attention toward slow-onset climate processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, despite the region's experience with extreme weather. It calls for integrated risk-management approaches and international cooperation to address loss and damage, noting similar challenges in Asia and the Pacific.

The Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project in Chile, funded by the IFC, IDB, and OPIC, resulted in severe environmental degradation and human rights violations, including threats to the water security of millions in Santiago. Despite these harms, the project's financiers used procedural loopholes and premature divestments to avoid accountability. However, strategic campaigns by Chilean activists and CIEL leveraged Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) to force institutional changes, resulting in the repeal of the IDB's legal exclusion clause and the creation of the IFC's Remedial Action Framework and Responsible Exit Approach.

Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It causes significant respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, contributing to millions of excess deaths annually, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Economically, BC exposure and reliance on unclean cooking fuels cause trillions of dollars in losses. Climatically, BC warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar energy and accelerates ice melt in the Arctic and Himalayas by reducing albedo. The report argues that reducing BC emissions—especially through clean cooking fuels in sub-Saharan Africa and transportation improvements in urban areas—would prevent millions of premature deaths, reduce deforestation, and help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The report advocates for climate justice, asserting that wealthy nations bear a historical responsibility for emissions and must provide financial and technological support to developing regions. It critiques market-based mechanisms like carbon credits and biofuels, labeling them as 'false solutions' that protect corporate profits while harming local communities and ecosystems. The text provides specific examples of climate impacts in Nigeria, Kiribati, and the Himalayas, and proposes a transition for Europe toward a low-carbon society based on drastic emission reductions and lifestyle changes.

The paper proposes a green-blue water approach to watershed management, emphasizing that managing soil moisture (green water) can increase water productivity and reduce downstream scarcity. It examines the hydrological impacts of land-use changes, such as deforestation and afforestation, and discusses the use of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to incentivize sustainable upland management. Case studies from the Jordan and Tana River basins illustrate the challenges of transboundary cooperation and the potential for 'soft-path' interventions over large-scale infrastructure.