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Assessing National Park Asset Flood Risk: Retreat, Adapt, Fortify?
The briefing describes a multi-year project to assess the vulnerability of National Park Service (NPS) coastal assets to hazards such as sea level rise and storm surges. The methodology separates vulnerability into 'exposure' (the likelihood of a hazard hitting an asset) and 'sensitivity' (the potential damage once the hazard occurs). By integrating this data into existing asset management databases, the project provides park managers with a science-based menu of adaptation options—such as elevating, relocating, or decommissioning structures—to optimize the allocation of limited maintenance funds based on an asset's mission priority.
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Document type: Briefing
Cultural Heritage and Climate Change
The briefing argues that archaeology and cultural heritage provide critical data on long-term sustainability and the history of climate-changing systems, yet remain 'effectively invisible' in major climate response frameworks. It highlights a significant funding and staffing disparity between natural and cultural resource management within the U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The speaker proposes establishing a federal Climate Heritage Coordination Office, linking heritage to climate research and investment, and expanding NGO engagement to better integrate human history and community values into climate adaptation planning.
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Document type: Briefing
Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision-Making
The briefing outlines the role of boundary organizations, such as the Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, in bridging the gap between climate science and policy. It highlights two primary case studies: the development of a Sea Level Rise Planning Toolkit for Washington State and the co-production of climate vulnerability assessment resources for Northwest and Great Basin tribes. Dr. Snover emphasizes a three-pronged approach—educating, enabling, and embedding—to ensure scientific data is actionable for resource managers and planners. The document concludes by arguing for increased federal support to meet the growing demand for decision-relevant climate science and the importance of regional centers in tailoring science to local needs.
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Document type: Briefing
Media’s COVID-19 Coverage Proves It Could Also Spotlight Climate Crisis
The author contends that the media's ability to define reality is evident in its exhaustive coverage of COVID-19, contrasting this with the historically lower priority given to the climate crisis. The text argues that the perceived immediacy of the pandemic versus the perceived abstraction of climate change is a faulty distinction, as climate-related disasters are already impacting millions. It suggests that newsrooms should apply the same 'all-hands-on-deck' approach to climate reporting, focusing on 'flattening the curve' of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the document highlights how overlapping crises—such as floods in the American Midwest occurring alongside the pandemic—and the shared origins of climate and COVID-19 misinformation further underscore the need for urgent, high-profile climate journalism.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Risks to India’s Nuclear Program
The document examines the vulnerabilities of India's nuclear infrastructure to climate-induced threats, including sea-level rise, cyclones, and extreme rainfall. It highlights a history of 'near-misses' and safety lapses, arguing that the lack of an independent regulator and a culture of secrecy exacerbate these risks. The author identifies the west coast and Tamil Nadu as high-risk zones and notes that climate change may indirectly increase nuclear tensions via the India-Pakistan rivalry over the Indus River Basin.
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Document type: Briefing
Last year the U.S. Intelligence Community warned of a coronavirus pandemic. Will we heed their climate warnings?
The authors use the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment's accurate prediction of a pandemic to urge policymakers to act on similar warnings regarding climate change. They highlight how environmental degradation and climate hazards threaten global infrastructure, food and water security, and geopolitical stability, particularly in coastal areas and the Arctic.
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Document type: Statement
Coastal Resilience in the Southeast
The document is a transcript of a virtual briefing featuring experts from NOAA, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, Wetlands Watch, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The discussion focuses on the implementation of natural infrastructure, such as living shorelines and coral reef restoration, to combat sea level rise and storm surge in the Southeast. Key topics include the use of NOAA's Digital Coast tools, the effectiveness of oyster-based shorelines in North Carolina, the impact of nuisance flooding and sea level rise in Virginia, and the threat of stony coral tissue loss disease in Florida. The panelists also discuss regulatory barriers, the need for improved cost-benefit analysis for nature-based solutions, and the importance of coordinated funding and permitting processes to enhance regional resilience.
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Document type: Briefing
Financing Climate Mitigation and Resilience: Lessons from Hawaii
The document details Hawaii's approach to climate resilience through the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA), highlighting its use of non-traditional underwriting to democratize clean energy for low-income residents and renters. It discusses specific projects, such as the Kahauiki Village microgrid and the Kahuku Point coastal restoration, as models for combining mitigation and adaptation. The briefing also argues for the National Climate Bank Act to scale these models federally, noting that while mitigation is easier to finance due to cash flows, adaptation requires more innovative financial structures to address unpriced positive externalities.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Risks to Indiad Internal Security
The document argues that while India's current internal security challenges—such as terrorism in Kashmir and Maoist insurgencies—are primarily driven by non-climate factors, future climate change will likely act as a risk multiplier. By 2050, increased temperature volatility, erratic monsoon patterns, and sea-level rise are projected to heighten human vulnerability. The authors identify three primary security pathways: rural unrest driven by agricultural distress and crop failure; tensions within India's federal structure caused by inter-state migration and river water disputes; and urban violence magnified by heat-induced aggression and food price hikes. The report emphasizes that at a 1.5°C global temperature rise, large portions of India enter a high-risk zone, potentially translating environmental stress into state security threats.
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Document type: Briefing
Billion-Dollar Disasters by Decade
The 2010s saw a significant surge in billion-dollar disasters in the U.S., accounting for nearly half of all such events and costs since 1980. The decade recorded 119 billion-dollar disasters with costs exceeding $800 billion, with notable spikes in central states like Texas, Illinois, and Missouri. The document links these trends to climate change—specifically warmer oceans and a wetter atmosphere—and notes that pre-disaster adaptation spending saves an average of $6 in recovery costs.
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Document type: Fact sheet
A SECURITY THREAT ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
The report evaluates global security threats under two warming scenarios: a 'Near Term' scenario (1-2°C) and a 'Medium-Long Term' scenario (2-4+°C). It concludes that even low levels of warming present high to very high risks, while higher warming levels pose catastrophic and potentially irreversible threats to global stability. The analysis is structured around U.S. Geographic Combatant Command areas, detailing how climate-induced physical shocks and social tensions act as threat multipliers that can lead to state failure, resource conflict, and the breakdown of international alliances.
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Document type: Report
Toward Risk-Aware and Climate-resilienT communities (TRACT) - Strengthening climate services and impact-based multi-hazard early warning in Maldives
The TRACT project aims to shift the Maldives from phenomenon-based weather reporting to impact-based forecasting. It proposes modernising the Maldives Meteorological Service (MMS), expanding hydrometeorological observation networks, and implementing community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) to protect a population where 42% live within 100m of the coastline. The project seeks USD 19 million from the Green Climate Fund to address critical gaps in data collection, institutional coordination, and 'last mile' communication of early warnings.
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Document type: Report
Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Program
The Freetown WASH and Aquatic Environment Revamping Program is a proposed project in Sierra Leone designed to address climate vulnerabilities affecting water security and forest ecosystems. With a total indicative cost of USD 219 million, the program combines large-scale infrastructure rehabilitation—such as water treatment plants and distribution networks—with GCF-funded climate-specific interventions. These include climate-resilient catchment-based water resources management and forest management to protect the Western Area Protected Forest. The project aims to benefit approximately 1.4 million residents, improve water access for 800,000 people, and create 2,700 jobs, while achieving an estimated mitigation impact of 22.5 tCO2eq through the creation of carbon sinks in 30,000 hectares of protected forest.
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Document type: Report
Tracer notre voie
The report outlines the physical and economic risks Canada faces due to climate change, such as sea-level rise and the global shift away from carbon-intensive exports. It proposes a holistic approach to climate policy that integrates health, well-being, and economic competitiveness, moving beyond narrow emission targets. The document highlights existing Canadian subnational innovations in carbon pricing and coal phase-out while recommending that governments expand the scope and ambition of their climate actions to ensure long-term prosperity.
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Document type: Report
The IPCC’s Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate: What’s in it for South Asia?
The document introduces a guide produced by CDKN, ODI, SSN, and ICLEI that extracts South Asia-specific data from the IPCC's 2019 Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. It highlights that human-driven climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, harming marine life and dependent populations, and causing sea level rise and cryosphere changes in high mountain Asia. The guide emphasizes that early mitigation and future-proofing coastal development are essential to reduce risks and costs.
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Document type: Guide
Charting Our Course
The report outlines the dual threats of physical climate impacts and global economic transitions facing Canada. It proposes a comprehensive framework that integrates health, wellness, and economic prosperity, moving beyond siloed mitigation and adaptation strategies. The document highlights existing sub-national policy successes and recommends that Canadian governments broaden their climate objectives, increase policy ambition, and leverage international leadership to ensure a resilient future.
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Document type: Report
Rapport spécial du GIEC sur les océans et la cryosphère dans le contexte du changement climatique Quels impacts pour l’Afrique ?
The document details how human-induced climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, leading to acidification, oxygen loss, and rising sea levels that threaten African coastal communities and marine biodiversity. It highlights the melting of high-mountain glaciers in East Africa, affecting water security and increasing landslide risks. The guide emphasizes that urgent greenhouse gas emission reductions are the primary way to limit these damages, while early investment in disaster risk reduction and nature-based solutions, such as 'blue carbon' ecosystems, can reduce future costs and enhance resilience.
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Document type: Guide
Database: A primer
The IISD database serves as a tool for estimating the financial performance of infrastructure assets by accounting for systemic costs and benefits often omitted in conventional assessments. It contains 2,057 entries across five categories: environmental externalities (1,059), social externalities (291), governance externalities (4), direct costs (192), and climate risks (511). The database covers infrastructure types including transport, energy, water management, materials management, building, mining, and nature-based infrastructures, and is used to support the SAVi simulation service and SAVi Academy training.
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Document type: Guide
Migration: a critical climate change resilience strategy
The document examines the relationship between climate change and migration in Africa, challenging the narrative of mass international 'climate refugee' flows. It posits that migration is an active resilience strategy used by households to diversify income and spread risk, though the most vulnerable are often trapped by a lack of resources. The brief highlights the prevalence of internal migration, the risks of unplanned urbanisation, and the need for African policymakers to develop governance frameworks tailored to local realities rather than relying on international models.
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Document type: Policy brief
SNAPSHOT OF Resilient Ecosystems Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (REASAP) 2020–2028
The REASAP 2020–2028 is a strategic framework for Saint Lucia designed to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services against climate change. It comprises 58 prioritized measures categorized by urgency into short-term (2020–2023), medium-term (2023–2026), and long-term (2026–2028) implementation phases. The plan focuses on strengthening policy frameworks, enhancing research, increasing public awareness, scaling up ecosystem protection, addressing degradation drivers, and accelerating ecosystem-based solutions. The strategy is critical as the cost of climate inaction in Saint Lucia is projected to reach 12.1% of GDP by 2025 and 49.1% by 2100. Funding is expected to come from national and international sources, including climate finance for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), and potential revenue from regulatory functions such as user fees and licenses.
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Document type: Fact sheet