Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide, produced within the CASCADE project, provides local government officials and experts with tools to identify and overcome barriers to climate change adaptation. It categorizes these barriers into eight groups and offers a self-assessment questionnaire and a curated list of resources, including videos and manuals, to facilitate the adaptation process.

This report, produced as part of the CASCADE project, provides a framework and resources for municipal officers and experts to identify and overcome barriers to climate change adaptation. It categorizes adaptation barriers into eight themes and offers a self-evaluation survey and a guide of resources—including video clips and critical discussion questions—to facilitate local-level risk assessment and adaptation planning.

This guide, produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute as part of the ENLARGE project, uses a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' (CYOA) format to educate policymakers and stakeholders on participatory democracy in the sustainable energy sector. It presents realistic, though fictional, scenarios involving a local government's attempt to implement an energy efficiency plan, including the construction of a wind farm and building renovations. The document explores the tensions between technical requirements, political consensus, and citizen engagement, providing strategies to improve social legitimacy, institutional sustainability, and political effectiveness.

This fact sheet, produced by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in October 2016, provides guidance on framing climate compatible development to ensure it is adopted into local political agendas. Based on experiences from South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it outlines five key strategies for sustainability: securing cross-party political consensus, linking climate action to development goals, aligning climate measures with sectoral objectives, utilizing local and national 'champions', and designing initiatives to benefit marginalized social groups.

This report provides a primer for policy makers on the roles and responsibilities of local, national, and international governance in enabling cities to lead climate change mitigation and adaptation. It emphasizes the critical role of urban areas, which emit over 70% of global emissions, and outlines financial instruments and planning steps necessary for a low-carbon and climate-resilient urban transformation.

The report proposes a model for implementing Environmental Improvement Zones (EIZs) in Winnipeg to engage neighbourhoods in local environmental action. It suggests a service-innovation and delivery focus, anchored by existing community-based organizations and supported by a multi-partite agreement between the City of Winnipeg, Environment Canada, and the Province of Manitoba.

This research paper by Fernando Melo Farrera, presented at a World Resources Institute conference in 2002, examines the tension between globalization and local diversity in Mexico. It argues that for municipalities to move beyond being mere operators of federal policy and become promoters of sustainable local development, Mexico must transition from a history of presidential centralism toward genuine decentralization and federalism that respects local autonomy and indigenous governance systems.

This case study examines the landscape of climate change financing for cities in Indonesia, with a specific focus on the city of Kupang. It analyzes the availability of international, national, and local funds, identifies significant governance and funding gaps at the municipal level, and proposes the establishment of a local trust fund to better mobilize and manage climate finance for mitigation and adaptation.

This fact sheet outlines approaches for enhancing local community resilience to climate change, focusing on vulnerability assessments, adaptive capacity, and the importance of multi-scale collaborative networks, with specific examples from the Caribbean.

This executive summary reports on a 2024 study commissioned by Natural Justice to assess the state of the Climate Justice Movement (CJM) in Kenya. The study involved 404 survey responses, 19 key informant interviews, and 12 focus group discussions across six regional economic blocs. It finds that while the CJM has a strong grassroots presence and has influenced national and county policies, it is currently hindered by internal fragmentation, leadership disputes, and limited funding. The document outlines the movement's composition, its role in monitoring government climate finance, and the legal frameworks—such as the Climate Change Act of 2016—that govern climate action in Kenya.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines the process of mainstreaming climate change adaptation into County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) in Kenya, focusing on the successful experiences of Makueni and Wajir Counties. It highlights the role of County Climate Change Funds (CCCFs), leadership, and stakeholder engagement in accelerating the integration of climate risks into local development planning to build resilience against intensifying climate impacts like prolonged droughts.