Search Climate Insights Directory

The document identifies the Belizean tourism industry as highly vulnerable to climate change, particularly due to its reliance on coastal and reef assets. It proposes a comprehensive set of technical, managerial, policy, and educational adaptation strategies, emphasizing the need to mainstream these options into national frameworks like the National Climate Change Policy and Integrated Coastal Zone Management to ensure long-term economic robustness.

The document outlines the high cost of natural disasters in the Caribbean, noting $33bn in damages from 2000-2009. It identifies sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and changing rainfall patterns as primary threats to the tourism and agriculture sectors, while suggesting micro-insurance, irrigation, and spatial planning as adaptation strategies.

The document estimates that water demand in Uganda will increase from 408 million cubic meters per year in 2010 to 3,963 million cubic meters per year by 2050, with unmet demand rising to 1,651 million cubic meters per year. The expected economic cost of this unmet demand in 2050 is estimated at 14,558 billion shillings (US$5.5 billion), with the highest losses anticipated in the Lake Victoria, Albert Nile, and Lake Kyoga watersheds. Historical drought data shows significant losses, specifically $250 million in 2005-6 and $1,174 million in 2010-11. Analysis of the Government of Uganda's Costed Adaptation Strategy suggests that investments in water use efficiency, supply for agriculture and industry, and Integrated Water Resources Management would likely generate a 10% rate of return.

The document estimates that water demand in Uganda will increase from 408 million cubic meters per year in 2010 to 3,963 million cubic meters per year by 2050. Under climate change scenarios and assuming no new investments beyond current plans, unmet demand is projected to rise to 1,651 million cubic meters per year, with an expected annual cost of approximately US$5.5 billion by 2050. The analysis highlights that the Lake Victoria, Albert Nile, and Lake Kyoga watersheds will face the largest economic losses. Historical drought data shows significant impacts, with events in 2005-6 and 2010-11 causing losses of US$250 million and US$1,174 million respectively. The report concludes that priority adaptation programmes focusing on water use efficiency, supply for agriculture and industry, and Integrated Water Resources Management are likely to generate high returns on investment.

The study uses the Kestrel-Integrated Hydrological Model and CARIWIG climate data to project river flows in Saint Lucia's Font D’Or catchment. Results from two climate models, Echam5 and HADCM3Q0, generally predict a decrease in surface water availability, with the most severe reductions occurring in the HADCM3Q0 scenarios. These decreases, particularly during the rainy season, threaten water supplies for the tourism and agriculture sectors.

The paper examines how multilevel governance can facilitate climate change adaptation in Jamaica's coastal-marine environments. Using a case study approach and Social Network Analysis (SNA), the authors identify the roles of various state and non-state actors. Preliminary findings highlight the importance of bridging organizations, such as the Department of Fisheries (DoFish), and the potential of the newly established Climate Change Focal Point Network to strengthen horizontal coordination among government agencies. The study argues for the need to strengthen vertical ties between national and local levels and to leverage public-private partnerships to enhance adaptive capacity.

The guide equips National Park Service (NPS) staff to communicate climate change by segmenting the American public into six audience types based on their beliefs and motivations. It provides tailored communication tips for each group—ranging from the 'Alarmed' to the 'Dismissive'—and details specific climate impacts across ten U.S. bioregions to help staff create place-based narratives. The document emphasizes using local park stories and scientific consensus to motivate visitors toward climate action and energy conservation.

The policy brief evaluates the vulnerability and institutional capacities of three Latin American coastal communities—Teacapan (Mexico), Bayahibe (Dominican Republic), and Brava de Almada (Brazil)—to respond to extreme rainfall events. While legal frameworks and actor networks are generally sufficient, the study finds that citizen participation mechanisms are consistently weak across the sites. The report highlights specific deficiencies: Brava de Almada lacks inter-institutional communication and popular participation in contingency plans; Teacapan suffers from fragile local response actions despite a robust regional civil protection system; and Bayahibe is partially ignored by central government-led initiatives. The document recommends improving two-way communication between local and central authorities, increasing social risk perception, and updating risk management tools like vulnerability maps.

The policy brief highlights a severe economic downturn in South Africa during the third quarter of 2021, characterized by a 1.5% GDP contraction and record-high unemployment. It identifies specific vulnerabilities among youth, Black African women, and informal workers, while noting significant job losses in retail, hospitality, and community services. To mitigate these effects and prevent social instability, the author recommends a suite of interventions including wage support, expanded social grants, sector-specific loans for tourism, and increased funding for industrial policy.

The document assesses five scenarios for the conservation of Lake Dal, ranging from business-as-usual to hybrid infrastructure upgrades. Using the SAVi tool, it finds that a hybrid approach—combining upgraded sewage treatment with a 500 ha artificial wetland—yields the highest net benefits (INR 360 billion) and the best water quality improvements. Conversely, the 'business-as-usual' scenario predicts a continuous decline in water quality and severe revenue losses for tourism and fisheries by 2060. The analysis also indicates that constructing the Western Foreshore Road would reduce tourism and fishery revenues by over INR 72 billion compared to the hybrid scenario due to damage to lake integrity.

The paper examines how Zambia manages competing public needs through macroeconomic reforms and growth stimulation. It details the transition from state-led economic management to a liberalised system, focusing on GDP growth, inflation control, and interest rate reductions to expand the state's resource envelope.

The Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly identifies coastal erosion, flash floods, windstorms, erratic rainfall, droughts, and heat waves as its main climate hazards. Key sensitive sectors include agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, tourism, and water/health. Proposed adaptation measures focus on coastal protection, enforcing building codes and mining laws, nature-based solutions like mangrove planting, and improving early warning systems and irrigation.

The report estimates that a reunification of Cyprus would provide Turkey with an annual peace dividend of EUR 17.4 billion (3.5% of 2009 GDP), comprising EUR 5.1 billion in savings and EUR 12.3 billion in additional export revenue. Key gains for Turkey include the potential for EUR 7 billion from financial and business services, EUR 1.7 billion from transport, and EUR 1.6 billion from tourism. Additionally, Turkey could see foreign direct investment (FDI) rise to EUR 33 billion per year. Greece is projected to benefit from EUR 2.3 billion in annual military savings, EUR 19.8 billion in FDI, and various gains in tourism and energy transit. The document highlights energy as the greatest opportunity, noting that a settlement would unblock Turkey's EU accession energy chapter and facilitate projects like Blue Stream-2.

The Ugandan government implemented expansionary fiscal and monetary policies to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. While these measures helped stabilize the financial sector and provided temporary liquidity to businesses, the pandemic caused real GDP growth to drop from 6.8% in FY 2018/19 to 2.9% in FY 2019/20. The industrial and services sectors were most severely affected, contributing to a projected 34.5% increase in the number of people living below the poverty line. Fiscal deficits rose to 7.5% of GDP in FY 2019/20, leading to a 21.7% increase in public debt stock to $15.27 billion.

The document analyzes Senegal's macroeconomic trajectory from the 1970s through the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights how the pandemic caused a significant drop in GDP growth in 2020, severely impacting sectors such as tourism, transport, and agriculture. To counter this, the Senegalese government and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) deployed a combination of stimulus packages, tax rebates, and liquidity measures. These interventions are credited with achieving a 1.3% real GDP growth in 2020, outperforming initial IMF forecasts of -0.4%. The paper also discusses the role of foreign direct investment, the potential of future oil and gas production, and the long-term goals of the Emerging Senegal Plan.

The document analyzes how COVID-19 and its containment measures slowed Uganda's GDP growth to 2.9% in FY2019/20, particularly impacting the services and industrial sectors. It details the government's expansionary responses, including reducing the central bank rate to 7%, providing tax relief to businesses, and implementing social safety nets like the Emyooga fund. While these measures stabilized the financial sector and protected some formal businesses, they contributed to a rise in public debt from $12.55 billion to $15.27 billion and increased external debt vulnerability. The paper concludes that approximately 3 million people fell into poverty due to the pandemic.

Albania's revised NDC aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20.9% by 2030 compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. The plan expands its scope to include all IPCC sectors, with significant mitigation efforts focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable forest management. The document also provides a comprehensive vulnerability assessment and prioritized adaptation measures for the Albanian coast and the AFOLU sector, emphasizing the need for climate-proofing infrastructure and enhancing ecosystem resilience.

The document argues that the costs of failing to reduce carbon emissions in the United States are prohibitive, citing projected damages to coastal infrastructure, public health, water resources, agriculture, transportation, and energy systems. It highlights that under high-emissions scenarios, the annual economic impact could reach 1.9 percent of GDP by 2100. Specific regional risks include severe sea-level rise in Florida and the Northeast, extreme heat waves in Midwestern cities, water scarcity in the Southwest, and increased wildfire frequency in the West Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. The document advocates for a reduction of carbon emissions by at least 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst consequences.

The document outlines a three-phase framework (scoping, analysis, and outreach) for valuing coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean to ensure such studies translate into real-world policy influence. It identifies key enabling conditions for success, such as clear policy questions and strong stakeholder engagement, and addresses gaps in existing valuation tools by providing specific reporting guidelines and best-practice examples for the region.

The report evaluates the economic contributions of Jamaica's coral reefs, highlighting their critical role in maintaining beaches for tourism, supporting reef-associated fisheries, and reducing coastal flooding. It warns that further reef degradation will lead to increased beach erosion, reduced tourism revenue, and higher vulnerability to storm-induced inundation, while noting that overfishing has already caused significant historical revenue losses.