Search Climate Insights Directory
242 results
The ABCs of Global Climate Change
The document outlines the role of human activity in increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, the resulting environmental and health risks, and the emission reduction targets required to limit temperature increases to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
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Document type: Briefing
An Open Letter from Oregon Climate Change Scientists
A group of Ph.D. scientists and researchers in Oregon have issued an open letter to state leadership warning that human-caused climate change threatens the state's quality of life and future. The authors highlight specific regional risks, including reduced snowpack, increased wildfires, and rising sea levels, and call for a combination of community adaptation investments and strict adherence to the state's 2050 emissions reduction target.
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Document type: Statement
World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate
The report analyzes the intersection of climate change, World Heritage sites, and tourism, arguing that climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' that degrades the outstanding universal value (OUV) of these sites while simultaneously threatening the tourism economies that depend on them. Through 30 case studies across 29 countries, it demonstrates that impacts range from glacier melt and sea-level rise to increased wildfire regimes and ocean acidification. The document emphasizes that while sustainable tourism can support conservation, unplanned development often increases site vulnerability. It concludes with recommendations for intergovernmental organizations, governments, and site managers to integrate climate science into management plans, reduce tourism's carbon footprint, and empower local and indigenous communities in adaptation efforts.
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Document type: Report
Integrating sustainable development and security: An analytical approach with examples from the Middle East and North Africa, the Arctic and Central Asia
The paper argues that ecological, financial, and political systems are under increasing pressure, creating a need to integrate 'hard' security (state-centric) with 'human' security (individual and ecosystem well-being). It identifies commonalities between these fields—such as uncertainty, irreversibilities, and multi-stakeholder complexity—and proposes a three-step methodology: context analysis, participatory scenario building, and options appraisal. Case studies demonstrate how water scarcity in the Nile and Euphrates-Tigris basins, climate-driven geophysical changes in the Arctic, and energy-water dependencies in Central Asia create security risks that require integrated governance and investment strategies.
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Document type: Research paper
Proposed Oakland Coal Export Terminal
Earthjustice, representing a coalition of environmental and community groups, urges the City of Oakland to reject the development of a coal export terminal at the former Oakland Army Base. The letter asserts that the project would disproportionately burden the low-income, predominantly African American community of West Oakland with particulate matter and diesel pollution, while violating California's greenhouse gas reduction goals. It argues that proposed mitigations, such as covered rail cars, are ineffective and that the project is an economic risk due to declining global coal demand. Finally, the document claims the project lacks necessary environmental review under CEQA and NEPA and that the City possesses the legal authority to ban the terminal to protect public health.
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Document type: Statement
Global Hunger for Coal Endangers the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its coral cover over the last 40 years, driven largely by climate change. The author asserts that Australia's commitment to increase coal production, specifically through new mega-mines in the Galilee Basin, exacerbates this threat by contributing to global carbon emissions and requiring harmful dredging and increased shipping in the World Heritage Area. Earthjustice and Environmental Justice Australia claim the reef meets up to six of the eight World Heritage Convention criteria for being 'in danger,' urging the World Heritage Committee to reverse its draft decision and list the site to enhance its protection.
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Document type: Statement
Reviving the Ocean Economy: the case for action - 2015
The document details the methodology used to value the global ocean economy, estimating a total asset value of 24 trillion USD and an annual economic contribution of approximately 2.5 trillion USD. It employs market-based and value-based (Net Present Value) approaches across seven asset categories and five annual activity categories, while explicitly excluding oil and gas production to avoid inflating the 'blue economy' value.
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Document type: Report
Reviving the Ocean Economy
The report estimates the global ocean's total asset base at at least US$24 trillion, with an annual 'gross marine product' of US$2.5 trillion, making it the world's seventh largest economy. It warns that over two-thirds of this value depends on healthy ocean conditions, which are currently being eroded by overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The document proposes eight strategic actions, including expanding marine protected areas to 30% by 2030 and decarbonizing energy systems to prevent the projected disappearance of coral reefs by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Cooperar para eliminar las alambradas: Europa y el Magreb
The author criticizes the European Union's criminalization of migration and the failure of neoliberal development models in the Maghreb. It highlights the link between environmental degradation—such as desertification and water scarcity—and forced migration, noting that 'environmental refugees' may reach 250 million by 2050. The text calls for a transition to 'post-development' cooperation that reduces Europe's ecological footprint while improving the Human Development Index (HDI) in the Maghreb, moving beyond the interests of extractive elites and the 'Washington Consensus'.
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Document type: Statement
Cooperation to remove the barbed wire: Europe and the Maghreb
The author contends that the EU must move away from criminalizing migrants and implementing neoliberal economic models in the Maghreb. Instead, the document proposes a cooperation framework based on reciprocity and ecological awareness, highlighting how environmental issues—such as desertification in coastal areas and water scarcity linked to fracking in Algeria—drive social instability and migration. It criticizes the 'Washington consensus' and the lack of international legal recognition for environmental refugees, who are estimated to reach 250 million by 2050. The text also notes that political instability, corruption, and bilateral conflicts between nations like Morocco and Algeria hinder regional cooperation and the development of interregional projects.
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Document type: Statement
Wspólnie przeciwko zasiekom
The author critiques the European Union's current approach to migration, characterizing it as based on myths that criminalize migrants and ignore the systemic links between environmental degradation and displacement. The text argues that North Africa's future depends on moving away from neoliberal models and resource extraction—such as shale gas in Algeria—toward ecological sustainability and democratic stability. It calls for the recognition of 'ecological refugees' and a reduction of the Global North's ecological footprint to address the root causes of migration.
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Document type: Statement
Living Blue Planet Report
The Living Blue Planet Report 2015 documents a 49% decline in global marine vertebrate populations between 1970 and 2012. It highlights critical losses in key habitats, including over half of reef-building corals in tropical reefs over 30 years and nearly 20% of mangrove cover between 1980 and 2005. The report identifies overfishing, climate change, pollution, and extractive industries as primary drivers of this degradation. It emphasizes the socio-economic risks, noting that nearly 3 billion people rely on fish as a major protein source and that the ocean generates at least US$2.5 trillion in annual economic benefits. The document advocates for the 'One Planet Perspective' framework, which includes expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to 30% to potentially generate up to US$920 billion by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Seychelles Country Report
The report identifies Seychelles as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and ocean warming, which threaten its fisheries, tourism, and water security. It finds that while the University of Seychelles is in its infancy and has limited research output, there is significant potential for it to lead a national CCD framework. Current climate research is primarily driven by NGOs and international agencies. The document recommends the establishment of a strategic national research framework and the integration of CCD into higher education curricula to address critical gaps in technical expertise and evidence-based policy making.
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Document type: Report
Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance
The document examines the governance of African fisheries, highlighting the tension between wealth generation and the 'welfare function' of small-scale fisheries. It identifies illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing as a major threat, particularly in West Africa, and discusses the transition from centralised governance to co-management systems. While progress is noted in the use of satellite tracking and regional cooperation to combat industrial overfishing, the document emphasizes the need for sustainable, independent co-management structures to protect livelihoods and ecosystems.
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Document type: Policy brief
The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report
The document outlines how climate change poses an existential threat to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through sea level rise, ocean acidification, and extreme weather. It emphasizes that while adaptation can reduce risks, SIDS face high economic costs due to a lack of economies of scale and limited resources. The briefing advocates for the integration of adaptation, mitigation, and development strategies, highlighting the potential for renewable energy to enhance energy security and the necessity of international cooperation to avert dangerous climate change.
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Document type: Briefing
The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report
The document outlines the existential threats posed to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by climate change, specifically sea level rise and ocean acidification. It emphasizes that while adaptation can reduce risks, SIDS face high per-capita costs due to a lack of economies of scale. The report advocates for integrating climate adaptation with broader development goals and transitioning to renewable energy to enhance energy security.
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Document type: Briefing
Living Planet Report 2014
The Living Planet Report 2014 highlights a critical decline in global vertebrate populations and an ecological overshoot where humanity requires 1.5 Earths to sustain its current consumption. It emphasizes the interdependence of food, water, and energy security with healthy ecosystems and proposes a 'One Planet Perspective' to align human development with planetary boundaries.
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Document type: Report
National Environmental Performance on Planetary Boundaries
The report develops a methodology to translate global planetary boundaries into national per capita and absolute targets. It finds that developed countries, including Sweden, frequently transgress these boundaries, particularly when consumption-based footprints are measured. The study also quantifies Sweden's 'legal competence deficit' regarding its national environmental objectives, noting that for climate impact, Sweden has no direct legal control over over 99% of the emissions threatening its goals. Finally, it analyzes the gap between planetary boundaries and international environmental agreements, concluding that while policy frameworks often exist, there is a significant implementation gap.
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Document type: Report
Embedding climate change resilience in coastal city planning: Early lessons from Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
The document details the creation of the 'Guidelines for Adaptation to Climate Change in Cartagena de Indias', the first of its kind for a South American coastal city. It highlights the city's vulnerabilities to sea level rise, flooding, and ecosystem degradation, while outlining a participatory process involving 64 stakeholder groups to mainstream adaptation into zoning and land-use policies. The brief emphasizes that while the guidelines provide a framework, the process requires sustained capacity building and political commitment to overcome the opportunity costs of adaptation and the skepticism of investors.
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Document type: Policy brief
BREAKING THE 400 ppm BARRIER: PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE RECENT CO2 RISE
The document analyzes the rise of atmospheric CO2, which reached a record high of over 400 ppm in May 2013, and discusses the resulting climate impacts and the necessity of immediate mitigation to avoid dangerous warming.
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Document type: Policy brief