Search Climate Insights Directory

The document details how the 115th Congress integrated resilience into various sectors through legislation like the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, the Water Resources Development Act, and the National Defense Authorization Act. It highlights the rising economic costs of inaction, noting that 2017 alone saw $312.7 billion in disaster damages. The text emphasizes the shift toward pre-disaster mitigation, nature-based infrastructure, and the need for the 116th Congress to address energy grid resilience and National Flood Insurance Program reform.

The document details Ghana's approach to integrating climate adaptation into government policy and planning. It identifies priority sectors for adaptation—including agriculture, energy, water, health, infrastructure, gender, and forestry—and lists specific climate threats such as increased temperatures, rainfall variability, and sea level rise. It also provides a timeline of policy milestones from 2012 to 2018, including the development of the National Climate Change Policy and the submission of a NAP Readiness Proposal to the Green Climate Fund.

Sierra Leone is developing its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP) framework to coordinate institutional adaptation, mobilize resources, and reduce vulnerability to climate change. The process identifies agriculture, biodiversity, fisheries, and tourism as priority sectors for adaptation. Key observed and anticipated climate impacts include coastal erosion, sea-level rise, mangrove destruction, saline water intrusion in aquifers, seaweed invasion, landslides, flooding, and extreme weather events. The document also maps the evolution of the country's climate policy milestones from the 2007 National Climate Change Strategy and Action plan to the 2019 finalization of the NAP Framework.

The Union of Concerned Scientists asserts that the United States has the lowest electoral integrity among advanced industrial democracies, which undermines the ability to create science-based policies. The report links voter suppression and gerrymandering to poor public health and environmental outcomes, citing examples in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Texas. It advocates for reforms such as automatic voter registration, nonpartisan redistricting, and public campaign financing to reduce the influence of 'dark money' and corporate interests on government decision-making.

The document describes a meeting intended to update OAS Member States on progress in integrated water resources management (IWRM) and address emerging challenges in the Americas, such as rapid urbanization, climate change, and transboundary water conflicts. It emphasizes the role of science in reducing environmental uncertainties and proposes a cooperation-based approach to manage shared water basins, which account for approximately 60% of freshwater resources in the Americas. The session aims to identify new strategic alliances, strengthen public policies through knowledge transfer, and promote a rights-based approach to water and sanitation.

The report examines the challenges facing sustainable investing due to substandard ESG data, highlighting issues such as lack of standardization, poor coverage, and a specific inability to quantify physical climate risks. Based on interviews with investment practitioners managing $5.2 trillion in assets, it argues that while disclosure frameworks like TCFD and SASB are improving the landscape, investors still lack the granular asset-level data and standardized methodologies required to translate sustainability metrics into financial materiality. The document proposes several solutions, including the development of a Physical Resilience Protocol and the use of geospatial data to fill context gaps in corporate reporting.

Since 2013, Benin has implemented a nationally led NAP process to integrate climate change adaptation into national, local, and sectoral development planning. Key milestones include the 2013 launch workshop, capacity building in 2017, and the 2019 commencement of the NAP document elaboration. The process identifies priority adaptation sectors including agriculture, health, energy, and coastlines, addressing impacts such as floods, droughts, and sea level rise.

The Cambodian NAP process, coordinated by the Department of Climate Change of the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD), employs a cross-sectoral approach to reduce climate vulnerability and integrate adaptation into national policies. The process has evolved through several milestones since 2006, including the creation of the National Climate Change Committee and the 2014-2023 Climate Change Strategic Plan. Current efforts focus on the National Adaptation Plan Financing Framework and Implementation Plan (NAPFFIP) to increase access to adaptation finance. Priority sectors for adaptation include agriculture, water, forestry, fisheries, infrastructure, human health, and coastal zones, with specific focus on impacts such as floods, droughts, sea level rise, intense storms, and tropical diseases.

Madagascar's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is led by the Ministry of climate risk management and utilizes a participatory, inclusive, and intersectoral approach. The process is guided by a validated roadmap and supported by coordination and monitoring and evaluation committees. Priority adaptation sectors include agriculture, water resources, infrastructure, forests and biodiversity, human health, and coastal zone management, addressing risks such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, sea level rise, and epidemics.

Tanzania's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, coordinated by the Vice President’s Office - Division of Environment, aims to integrate climate impact data into decision-making, align priorities with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and improve access to climate finance. The process focuses on cross-sectoral coordination and participatory planning to increase resilience and meet Paris Agreement targets. Priority sectors for adaptation include agriculture, health, freshwater resources, and the coastal and marine environment, addressing impacts such as droughts, floods, and sea level rise. Key milestones from 2012 to 2018 include the National Climate Change Strategy, the formation of a multi-agency NAP Team, and a stocktaking exercise for mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Tuvalu is implementing its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, centered on the Tuvalu Integrated Vulnerability Assessment (TIVA) database to manage community-level vulnerability data. The process aims to protect the nation's cultural identity and status by addressing climate threats to food and water security, health, and infrastructure across its nine islands.

The document details how rising temperatures in Oregon are increasing the frequency and cost of wildfires, reducing mountain snowpack, and causing ocean acidification. It highlights the vulnerability of the state's $48 billion agriculture, forestry, and fishery sectors and recommends a transition to a clean energy economy through carbon pricing and renewable energy adoption.

The document details how human-induced climate change is altering ocean chemistry and temperature, accelerating sea-level rise, and melting high-mountain glaciers in Latin America. It emphasizes that while some changes are inevitable, urgent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is the primary way to limit future damage. The guide highlights the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems and high-mountain communities, arguing that early investment in disaster risk reduction and integrated governance is more cost-effective than future recovery.

The document outlines how human-induced climate change is warming and acidifying oceans, causing sea level rise, and melting high mountain frozen lands in Africa. These changes threaten fisheries, coastal infrastructure, and water security. It argues that while adaptation and disaster risk reduction are essential and cost-effective, urgent global greenhouse gas mitigation is the primary way to limit long-term damage.

The document outlines the impacts of human-induced climate change on the oceans and cryosphere in Latin America, focusing on ocean acidification, sea level rise, and the melting of Andean glaciers. It emphasizes that while some changes are inevitable, urgent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and early investment in adaptation—such as nature-based solutions and improved disaster risk governance—can significantly reduce future costs and risks to human societies and ecosystems.

The document outlines the impacts of human-induced climate change on the oceans and cryosphere, specifically focusing on the vulnerabilities of South Asia. It details the degradation of coral reefs, rising sea levels affecting coastal megacities like Mumbai, and the melting of glaciers in high mountain Asia. The report emphasizes that while some changes are inevitable, urgent greenhouse gas mitigation and early investment in adaptation—such as nature-based 'blue carbon' solutions and integrated governance—can significantly reduce future risks and costs.

The Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan (KJIP) 2019-2028 is a strategic roadmap designed to increase national resilience through a 'whole-of-country approach.' It identifies 12 major strategies covering governance, food and water security, health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and climate finance. The plan emphasizes the extreme vulnerability of Kiribati's atoll geography to sea-level rise and extreme weather, while specifically integrating gender-responsive actions and the inclusion of vulnerable groups. It formalizes the Kiribati National Expert Group (KNEG) as the primary advisory and coordination body to ensure that climate adaptation is mainstreamed into ministerial operational plans and national budgets.

Fiji's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) aims to integrate climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction into national and sub-national development planning. The process focuses on priority components such as food security, infrastructure, and health, while addressing hazards including sea level rise, stronger cyclones, and flooding. Key milestones include the accreditation of the Fiji Development Bank to the Green Climate Fund and the finalisation of National Relocation Guidelines.

The report documents a pattern of anti-science policies at the US Department of the Interior (DOI) under Secretary Ryan Zinke, arguing that the administration prioritized fossil fuel and mining interests over public health and environmental protection. Key findings include the blocking of critical health and safety research, the removal of climate change from strategic planning, and the creation of a hostile work environment for federal scientists. The document highlights specific cases of land protection reductions, such as at Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, and the undercutting of the Endangered Species Act. It concludes with recommendations for increased congressional oversight and the reintegration of climate science into DOI policy.

Natural Justice submitted comments to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) on November 27, 2018, challenging the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for proposed salt works by Al-Sherman Limited in Marereni, Kilifi County. The organization argues that the EIA fails to adequately address risks to water sources, climate change impacts, local ecosystems, and community livelihoods, while also citing deficiencies in the public participation process.