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Extreme Precipitation in a Warming Climate
Climate change is increasing the intensity of extreme precipitation across the U.S., with the Northeast and Midwest seeing the largest increases since 1958. Under 2°C of global warming, 85% of U.S. counties are projected to experience a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days. This intensification contributes to flash flooding and landslides, disproportionately affecting racial minorities and those in mobile homes, particularly in the South and rural areas. Between 1988 and 2021, warming-induced rainfall intensification caused an estimated $84 billion in inland flood damages.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Reducing vulnerability and improved land management needed with increasing heavy rainfall in Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines
A study of heavy rainfall in eastern Mindanao (Caraga and Davao regions) between December and February found a strong upward trend in extreme rainfall in observations, though climate models failed to replicate this trend, preventing a quantified attribution to human-induced climate change. The analysis notes that El Niño typically reduces rainfall in this region during the Northeast monsoon, suggesting rainfall could have been more extreme without it. High vulnerability to flooding is attributed to poverty, protracted conflict, deforestation, urban wetland loss, and stalled disaster risk management policies, including the failure of automated sensors since 2022.
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Document type: Research paper
The Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) project
The SUNCASA project, funded with USD 22 million by Global Affairs Canada and managed by IISD and WRI, implements nature-based solutions (NbS) to combat flooding, heat, and biodiversity loss in Dire Dawa, Kigali, and Johannesburg. The project targets 2.2 million beneficiaries, with a specific focus on gender equality and the empowerment of marginalized groups in climate adaptation planning.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Building Resilience of Vulnerable Communities to Climate Variability in Rwanda’s Congo Nile Divide through Forest and Landscape Restoration Rwanda
The project aims to protect and restore the Congo Nile Divide (CND) landscape in Rwanda, focusing on an area of 444,600 hectares. It addresses vulnerabilities to landslides, floods, and soil erosion caused by climate variability and deforestation. The strategy involves three main components: mainstreaming climate adaptation into land-use planning, restoring natural forests and creating ecological 'stepping stones' for biodiversity, and enhancing rural livelihoods through agroforestry, beekeeping, and the distribution of fuel-efficient cookstoves. The project seeks $39.06 million in GCF grants, with additional co-financing from the Rwandan government, to benefit over 1.25 million direct beneficiaries.
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Document type: Report
Pennsylvania’s Looming Climate Cost Crisis
Pennsylvania's municipal governments are projected to spend at least $15.47 billion by 2040 to adapt to climate change, with stormwater drainage capacity representing the largest expense at $7.8 billion. The report highlights that these costs will disproportionately affect rural, high-poverty, and Environmental Justice areas, with some small municipalities facing annual per capita costs exceeding $1,000. The authors argue that major oil and gas companies should be held legally accountable for these costs rather than taxpayers.
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Document type: Report
The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal
The document details the struggles of Pasang Norchel Tamang, a herder in Rasuwa, Nepal, whose livelihood has been severely impacted since 2015 by decreasing precipitation and rising temperatures. These climate shifts have led to the depletion of water sources, reduced pasture productivity, and livestock health issues, including miscarriages and lower fertility rates. To maintain income, the herder has increased his livestock numbers, leading to higher debt and forcing his children to drop out of school. Additionally, hydropower projects have fragmented pastures and blocked access routes, further compounding the vulnerability of the ethnically marginalized Tamang community.
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Document type: Case study
Rising Hourly Rainfall Intensity
Analysis of 150 U.S. weather stations shows that 91% experienced an increase in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2022, with an average increase of 13%. This trend is linked to climate warming, which allows the atmosphere to hold more moisture, increasing the risk of flash flooding and landslides regardless of whether a location is typically wet or dry.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Papua New Guinea, Climate and Security
The document analyzes how climate change interacts with socio-political fragility in Papua New Guinea, highlighting risks such as food insecurity, illegal logging, and escalating tribal violence. It argues that these stressors, combined with geopolitical competition from China, threaten regional security. The author recommends that the U.S. provide technical assistance for renewable energy, establish a climate data platform, and support local NGOs and military disaster response capacity to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate change increased heavy rainfall hitting vulnerable communities in eastern Northeast Brazil
An event attribution study found that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the extreme rainfall that hit eastern Northeast Brazil in May 2022, causing over 133 deaths and displacing at least 25,000 people. While the events were exceptionally rare—with a 1-in-500 to 1-in-1000 annual chance in the current climate—they would have been approximately 20% less intense in a world without human-induced warming. The study highlights that pre-existing structural vulnerabilities, such as unplanned urbanization in low-income neighborhoods and an infrastructure deficit, exacerbated the disaster's impact.
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Document type: Research paper
Managing Watersheds for Enhanced Resilience of Communities to Climate Change in Nepal (MaWRiN)
The Managing Watersheds for Enhanced Resilience of Communities to Climate Change in Nepal (MaWRiN) project aims to reduce vulnerability to landslides, floods, and droughts in the Marin watershed, Sindhuli district. With a total cost of USD 36,657,417, the project focuses on mainstreaming climate change adaptation (CCA) into local policies, transferring climate-resilient agricultural and livestock technologies, and implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) across six critical catchment areas. The project specifically targets indigenous populations, who make up 68.5% of the area, and addresses systemic barriers such as high poverty (43%) and limited institutional coordination between municipalities.
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Document type: Report
Wetter Rainfall Hours in a Warming Climate
An analysis of 150 U.S. weather stations shows that 90% experienced an increase in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2021, with an average increase of 13%. These intensifying rainfall extremes, which contribute to flash flooding and landslides, affect both wet and dry regions, with the most significant increases observed in locations such as Fairbanks, Alaska, and El Paso, Texas.
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Document type: Report
Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas
On 8 February 2022, Indonesian police and military personnel conducted a violent operation in Wadas village, Central Java, resulting in at least 63 arrests, including 13 children. The operation was intended to facilitate land measurement by the Purworejo Land Agency (BPN Purworejo) for a proposed andesite mine. The Wadas community has opposed the mine since 2018, citing the loss of productive agricultural land and risks to water springs and landslide prevention. Friends of the Earth International links this to a broader pattern of criminalisation in Indonesia, noting similar police violence against mining protests in Bengkulu and Central Sulawesi between December 2021 and February 2022.
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Document type: Statement
Exploring the Environment-Conflict-Migration Nexus in Asia
The report analyzes how climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' in Asia, compounding existing social, political, and economic vulnerabilities to exacerbate conflict and drive migration. Focusing on Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, it examines how environmental stressors like droughts and floods intersect with ethnic discrimination and political instability. It highlights the specific vulnerabilities of displaced populations, such as the Rohingya and Afghans, who often reside in hazard-prone urban slums or camps. The document argues that national and regional policies frequently omit the climate-conflict-migration nexus and recommends that humanitarian agencies and policy-makers integrate these linkages to build long-term resilience and support safe, regular migration.
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Document type: Report
Limited role of climate change in October 2020 Vietnam flooding
The analysis finds no significant evidence that human-caused climate change altered the probability or intensity of the October 2020 heavy rainfall events in Central Vietnam. While observations suggest a 1-in-80 year event, the uncertainty ranges for both observational and model-based data are too large to establish a significant climate change signal. The study concludes that natural variability currently outweighs climate change impacts for multi-day precipitation in the region, emphasizing the need for improved disaster risk reduction measures regardless of climate trends.
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Document type: Research paper
The Kingdom of Eswatini’s Initial Adaptation Communication to the UNFCCC
The Kingdom of Eswatini's Initial Adaptation Communication (AdCom) identifies key climate hazards such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, and details national efforts to mitigate these impacts through flood control, irrigation, and climate-proofed infrastructure. It highlights the role of the National Climate Change Policy (2016) and the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2020) in guiding adaptation actions involving government, NGOs, and the private sector.
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Document type: Report
Statement in Response to Tragic Mudslide in Batang Toru, Indonesia
Mighty Earth responds to fatal mudslides at the Batang Toru hydroelectric dam site in Indonesia, calling for a moratorium on development. The organization highlights warnings about landslide risks due to terrain and rainfall, the project's threat to the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan, and the withdrawal of major international financiers.
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Document type: Statement
INVITING DISASTERS
The report identifies thousands of mining concessions and dozens of coal-fired power plants located in areas prone to earthquakes, floods, and landslides across Indonesia. It argues that a 'science-policy gap' exists where the Indonesian government ignores disaster risks to facilitate investments for 'extractive oligarchs,' often through National Strategic Projects (PSN). The document details specific case studies, such as the Panau Coal Steam-Power Plant and the Bener Dam project, to illustrate how these investments increase community vulnerability and environmental degradation. It concludes that recent legislative changes, including the Job Creation Law (Omnibus Law), further exacerbate these risks by loosening environmental regulations and centralizing spatial planning authority.
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Document type: Report
Policy-making in dryland Africa
The document argues that urban climate resilience in dryland Africa requires alternative models of knowledge production and decision-making that prioritize social inclusivity and innovation. It highlights that rapid, expansive population growth in African cities increases land use change and leaves residents of informal settlements vulnerable to climate risks such as flooding and landslides due to a lack of basic services and secure tenure. Based on stakeholder interviews from the "Peri-Urban Resilient Ecosystems" partnership, the brief emphasizes democratic accountability, transparent decision-making, and community co-production as essential themes for scalable and replicable urban policy.
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Document type: Policy brief
Building Resilience to High-Impact Hydro meteorological Events through the Strengthening of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems in Bhutan
The project aims to enhance Bhutan's capacity for impact-based forecasting and early warning services to protect vulnerable populations and climate-sensitive sectors. It proposes a total investment of USD 26 million, with USD 10 million requested from the Green Climate Fund and USD 16 million in co-financing from the Royal Government of Bhutan. The initiative focuses on upgrading monitoring infrastructure, developing a central climate database and decision support systems, and building the capacity of the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) and end-users to utilize climate information for planning and disaster risk management.
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Document type: Report
NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN (NAP) APPROACH
Rwanda's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, led by the Ministry of Environment and Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), employs an integrated approach to promote climate-resilient development with a focus on community- and ecosystem-based adaptation. The process has leveraged funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), including a USD 32.8 million GCF allocation for climate resilience in Gicumbi District. Priority adaptation sectors address impacts such as droughts, landslides, and food insecurity through measures like irrigation, afforestation, and disaster risk reduction.
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Document type: Fact sheet