Search Climate Insights Directory

The report advocates for the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in South African municipalities to address the dual crises of COVID-19 economic devastation and climate vulnerability. It highlights that while national green recovery plans exist, they often require high skills and long lead times. In contrast, NBS—particularly urban tree planting and the removal of invasive alien plants—can provide immediate, low-skill employment for vulnerable populations while mitigating urban heat islands, managing flood risks, and improving public health. The document identifies significant barriers to implementation, including municipal funding shortages, difficulties in quantifying the economic value of natural assets, and rigid public procurement processes.

The guide outlines how urban gardens in the UK can mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce energy consumption, and lower carbon footprints through strategic planting, water conservation, composting, and home-grown food production.

The document outlines three primary actions for cities to reduce their carbon footprint through biological resource management: diverting organic waste from landfills to prevent methane emissions, expanding urban forestry to create carbon sinks and reduce cooling energy needs, and promoting plant-based diets to lower food-related emissions.

The Carbon-Free City Handbook outlines a strategic framework for cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through immediate, economically viable actions. It categorizes recommendations into buildings, transportation and mobility, electricity, industry, and biological resources, emphasizing the importance of setting bold 100% targets to drive transformational change rather than incremental progress.

The document argues that climate change adaptation measures involving green and blue areas provide significant co-benefits for human health, which are often overlooked in policy design. It develops a conceptual framework based on five pathways: prevention of climate and pollution effects, improvement of ecosystem quality, social environment benefits, economic activity development, and interaction with microorganisms. The authors review existing literature using objective, self-reported, and mixed methodologies, finding a generally positive but inconsistent correlation between natural environments and health outcomes, with green areas being more extensively studied than blue areas.

The report examines Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture and Forestry (UPAF), defined as the production of trees, food, and other agricultural products within urban and peri-urban areas. It notes that while UPAF is expected to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, there has been little analysis to determine which specific UPAF models are most effective for different city configurations.

The 2014 Maryland statewide survey reveals that while a majority of residents support state action to protect coastal areas from sea level rise and general climate harms, there is significant uncertainty regarding whether sea level rise is currently occurring and what causes it. Preferred adaptation strategies include changes to zoning regulations and long-range planning. Residents identify hotter weather and severe storms as the most likely local climate impacts, with agriculture, public health, and coastlines viewed as the most at-risk resources.

The document introduces Environmental Improvement Zones (EIZs) as a community-based framework for implementing environmental strategies in Winnipeg. It outlines baseline data and recommended activities across seven key areas: climate change/air quality, urban energy, land use, transportation, waste management, water management, and pesticide use. The guide details pilot results from three diverse neighbourhoods—Whyte Ridge, Riverview, and West Broadway—demonstrating that environmental priorities vary significantly by socio-economic profile and urban layout. It argues that a neighbourhood-scale approach using community-based social marketing (CBSM) is more effective for long-term behaviour change than city-wide, 'one size fits all' programming.

The document outlines the link between biodiversity and population health, positioning urban forests as a municipal tool to mitigate the 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It highlights the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Canada's amended Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) as policy drivers. Evidence is provided on the physical, mental, and social health benefits of urban trees, with specific advantages for children, seniors, and pregnant women. The briefing concludes with seven policy recommendations for municipal governments, including the adoption of Urban Forest Management Plans and equity-focused planting strategies.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is working to advance the understanding of how forests mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration and other mechanisms, such as reducing urban heat and oxidizing methane. The program emphasizes sustainable forest management and provides specific guidance on the use of woody biomass in the northeastern US to reduce greenhouse gases over a 20-30 year horizon.

The document is a student guide designed to facilitate classroom conversations, small group discussions, or writing prompts based on 90-second radio stories from Yale Climate Connections. It provides a structured set of questions divided into categories such as general impressions, making connections, finding and evaluating solutions, justice and equity, and climate communication in action. Additionally, it lists suggested radio stories categorized by topics including energy, health, policy and politics, and species and ecosystems, and offers extension activities for deeper research and analysis.

The document details the process and outcomes of the City of Cape Town's initial attempt to analyze its 10-year capital portfolio for climate resilience. It identifies eight key lessons, emphasizing the need for consolidated databases, a focus on climate-related shocks, and the development of project typologies. The analysis revealed significant under-tagging of resilience projects by project managers, particularly in the Human Settlements directorate, and highlights the importance of secondary resilience benefits from primary mandates. The report concludes with a roadmap to mature the resilience assessment process by 2025.

The document specifies that subawardees must report key performance indicators to the Forest Service and provide quarterly progress reports to GreenLatinos. It emphasizes that activities must be focused on low-income and disadvantaged communities, referencing tools like the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and EJScreen for guidance. A non-exhaustive list of possible metrics is provided, covering tree inventory, canopy expansion, community outreach, workforce training, and the creation of green jobs.

GreenLatinos operates an Urban and Community Forestry Program focused on expanding urban tree canopy to mitigate extreme heat and developing the urban forestry workforce in marginalized neighborhoods. As one of twelve national pass-through partners selected by the USDA, GreenLatinos is responsible for disseminating $20 million from the Inflation Reduction Act USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program to disadvantaged communities.

The guide outlines allowable and unallowable costs, budget categories, and reimbursement procedures for the Urban & Community Forestry Program, emphasizing compliance with 2 CFR 200 and Forest Service requirements.

The research paper examines how urban forests influence air quality and public health. It highlights that trees improve air quality by directly removing gaseous pollutants and particulate matter, and indirectly by reducing urban heat island effects and building energy demand. However, it notes that trees can also emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pollen, and may trap pollutants near emission sources like roadways if not designed correctly. The paper concludes that while the overall effect is positive, local forest design is critical to maximize health benefits.

The toolkit offers sample messaging and talking points to highlight how urban trees mitigate extreme heat, improve air quality, and enhance public health. It specifically promotes the #FundingUrbanForestry campaign and the use of Inflation Reduction Act funds to expand urban canopies and create green jobs in underserved communities.

The document provides a series of social media templates for Urban Forestry Grant awardees to promote the environmental, health, and economic benefits of urban tree planting. It highlights the role of urban forestry in mitigating extreme heat, improving air quality, and creating livable wage jobs, specifically targeting communities of color and low-income areas to promote tree equity.

The report evaluates tree planting in the Canadian prairie ecozone as a carbon sequestration strategy. It concludes that while tree planting provides significant environmental, economic, and social benefits—such as erosion control and energy savings—it cannot alone meet Canada's goal of stabilizing GHG emissions at 1990 levels. The document advocates for a combined approach including fuel switching, energy efficiency, and improved agricultural practices. It details the direct costs of planting in Saskatchewan and the potential for carbon credit markets, while noting that the long-term sequestration potential of trees exceeds that of agricultural crops.

The text presents 'green development' as a superior paradigm for real estate, demonstrating through case studies that integrating passive design, high-efficiency technology, and human-centric planning reduces costs and increases financial returns. It highlights the economic benefits of improved labor productivity due to better indoor environments and argues that current market incentives for architects and developers are 'perverse' because they reward inefficiency. The document details specific technical innovations in lighting, insulation, and appliances, while advocating for 'New Urbanism' to reduce infrastructure costs and restore community vitality.