Search Climate Insights Directory

Loja, Ecuador, has transformed its urban landscape through the Sistema Verde Urbano, a network of over 600 hectares of green spaces, river corridors, and parks. Developed in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), the system integrates water management, pedestrian and cycling mobility, and biodiversity restoration to mitigate flooding and heat while improving resident well-being.

The report defines intergenerational justice as an ethical obligation to balance present needs with the needs of future generations, incorporating distributive, procedural, and recognitional dimensions. It highlights that youth view themselves as current stakeholders and proxies for the future, provided they have meaningful participation and institutional support. The document identifies a broad range of youth concerns, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and mental health, and argues for integrated solutions over single-issue fixes. It examines various European participatory mechanisms, such as Youth Councils and participatory budgeting, and recommends strengthening these through improved accountability, diversity, and intergenerational dialogue.

The document examines two Sesc São Paulo units—Sesc Bertioga and Sesc Interlagos—as models for private conservation with public interest. Sesc Bertioga manages 384.43 hectares, including high restinga forests and areas overlapping with the Serra do Mar State Park, while Sesc Interlagos has recovered approximately 18 hectares of Atlantic Forest in a dense urban setting. Both sites integrate environmental conservation with social services, offering education, sports, and culture to the local population. The study identifies that several areas within these units, which are not formal conservation units (UC), meet the criteria for OECMs due to their in situ biodiversity. It recommends formalizing this recognition, developing integrated strategic plans, and strengthening the link between nature and public health to enhance urban quality of life.

WRI and the Shenzhen government implemented 113 near-zero carbon demonstration projects, including rooftop solar and building retrofits, to address rising household energy demand. These initiatives are projected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 1 million tons and save residents US$ 280 million in energy costs. To ensure scalability and affordability for low-income groups, the city introduced a subsidy policy providing up to 1 million yuan per community.

The document outlines a five-step process for assessing nature-based solutions (NbS), moving from system mapping and climate analysis to the quantification of benefits and the identification of financing structures. It emphasizes the use of systems thinking to capture multifunctional co-benefits that traditional 'grey' infrastructure often overlooks. The guide provides a toolbox of quantification and risk assessment tools and illustrates the application of the SAVi methodology through case studies in the Netherlands, Burkina Faso, Italy, Greece, Belgium, and Colombia.

The analysis finds that investing in nature-based infrastructure (NBI) in Drakenstein, South Africa, can reduce flood damages by up to USD 36 million against costs of USD 8.65 million over 25 years. The study indicates a benefit-cost ratio of up to 5:1 (ZAR 5 return for every ZAR 1 invested), with net benefits reaching ZAR 600 million (USD 34.2 million). These benefits include avoided flood damages, job creation, and improved mental health, with NBI proving most valuable in climate scenarios characterized by frequent and intense floods.

The report evaluates the revitalization of Sherwan Hill Adventure Park in Abbottabad, Pakistan, as part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project. Using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, the analysis compares a nature-based infrastructure scenario—including reforestation and expanded green areas—against a business-as-usual scenario. The findings indicate that the project provides a significant return on investment, with every USD 1 spent yielding USD 2.49 in benefits over 30 years, totaling PKR 1.8 billion in avoided costs and gains across health, employment, property values, and climate resilience.

The report examines how urban green space access is often socially determined by income, gender, and age, particularly in rapidly growing cities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It highlights that lower-income communities often prioritize provisioning services—such as food and fuel—over the aesthetic or health-related benefits typically emphasized in high-income contexts. The authors argue that top-down planning frequently fails these populations and can lead to gentrification or social opposition. Using a case study from the Nakuru River area in Kenya, the report identifies systemic barriers to community-led management, including unclear governmental responsibilities, funding shortfalls, and the influence of external NGOs. It concludes that equitable urban greening requires integrating infrastructure improvements and employment opportunities with participatory design that includes women, youth, and people with disabilities.

WRI Indonesia's Cities4Forests initiative helped Jakarta implement two new regulations in 2021 regarding tree management and park provision. This collaboration led to the creation of 54 new urban parks since 2022 and the planting of over 65,000 urban trees, specifically targeting underserved areas to mitigate air pollution, extreme heat, and flooding.

The report examines the role of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) in urban environments, highlighting its cost-effectiveness and climate resilience compared to traditional grey infrastructure. It identifies four key NBI types—urban green spaces, green roofs, stormwater infrastructure, and wetlands and lakes—and argues that incorporating nature into urban planning generates significant societal returns and supports other sustainable infrastructure investments.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) submitted recommendations for Canada's National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) in July 2022. The submission argues that the NAS must explicitly address the intersection of climate change and both physical and mental health, noting that physicians are already observing increased asthma and anxiety linked to wildfires and extreme heat. CAPE highlights that extreme heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including those in poverty, racialized communities, and older individuals. The organization calls for the NAS to include specific outcomes and targets, protect nature for its own sake, and prioritize natural infrastructure—such as urban tree canopies—to mitigate heat and improve public health. Additionally, CAPE emphasizes the need to harden health infrastructure to ensure hospitals remain functional and serve as community safe havens during extreme weather events.

The document defines the conceptual landscape of nature-based climate solutions, distinguishing between the broad umbrella of NbS and the adaptation-specific focus of EbA. It argues that for these measures to be legitimate and effective, they must be grounded in risk assessments and robust social and environmental safeguards to prevent rights violations and biodiversity loss. The text provides practical examples of EbA across various ecosystems and outlines a framework for future implementation based on gender responsiveness, social inclusion, and biodiversity benefits.

The paper examines the historical roots of the human-nature divide, particularly in 'WEIRD' (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) countries, where nature is often viewed instrumentally. It contrasts this with indigenous worldviews that see humans as integral to the biosphere. The authors argue that human-nature connectedness (HNC) is a contextual ability that can be fostered through nature accessibility, authentic education, and the legal recognition of the Rights of Nature to move toward a biocentric model of sustainability.

The SAVi assessment finds that tree planting in Addis Ababa generates significant societal value by sequestering carbon and avoiding costs associated with air pollution, flooding, and heat. The analysis indicates that trees provide better value for money and more job creation than grey infrastructure alternatives, such as electric vehicles or rainwater harvesting tanks, provided that the nature-based infrastructure is maintained to ensure tree survival.

The document outlines the wide-ranging health risks associated with traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), noting that in Canada, one-third of the population lives within 250m of a major road. It highlights that children, racialized people, and those in poverty are disproportionately vulnerable to these pollutants. The report links TRAP to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and pregnancy-related illnesses, as well as increased COVID-19 risks, and recommends policy interventions such as low emission zones, electric vehicles, and expanded urban green spaces.

The report synthesizes scientific evidence on the wide-ranging health impacts of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), emphasizing its disproportionate effect on marginalized populations and its role in exacerbating COVID-19. It advocates for decisive policy, legislative, and regulatory interventions to reduce emissions and protect public health.

The report synthesizes evidence on the wide-ranging health risks of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), noting that one-third of Canadians live within 250m of a major road. It details impacts across respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and reproductive systems, while highlighting that racialized and low-income populations bear a disproportionate burden. The document also analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic both exacerbated health risks and demonstrated the potential for air quality improvement through traffic restrictions. It concludes with recommendations for pollution control policies, active transport infrastructure, and urban greening.

The guide argues that current imagery of the natural environment lacks social, ethnic, and geographic diversity, which creates barriers to inclusion. It proposes six principles to diversify visual narratives: using positive stories, avoiding tokenism, depicting diverse activities and landscapes (including urban areas), including real people, and diversifying the creators behind the camera. These changes are framed as essential for engaging a broader range of people with the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

The 2022 Voluntary Local Review for Pereira, Colombia, documents the city's efforts to align its Municipal Development Plan (PDM) 2020-2023 with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The report focuses on four priority goals: Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Life on Land (SDG 15), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). It highlights the use of the 'Pereira Territorio Sostenible' platform for monitoring and identifies key challenges, such as the lack of reliable local data and legal limitations on municipal authority over environmental conservation, which is primarily managed by the regional authority CARDER.

The document examines the vulnerability of Mombasa to climate change, specifically flooding and sea-level rise, and argues for the integration of nature-based solutions into urban planning. It highlights the role of mangroves, constructed wetlands, and urban green zones in enhancing ecological and social resilience. The brief notes that current major planning documents, such as the Gate City Master Plan, lack systematic climate resilience strategies, and advocates for a 'joined-up' approach using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to coordinate stakeholder action and build social capital.