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The document examines the application of the Tandem framework for co-designing climate services in Karlstad and Stockholm, Sweden. It argues that tailoring climate information to the specific institutional and decision contexts of users—such as local planners—bridges the gap between research and action. The findings suggest that climate service needs vary based on the user's prior experience and their stage in the adaptation learning cycle, and that co-design can help overcome barriers like competing policy priorities and climate uncertainty.

The Stockholm Environment Institute developed a terminology card game as part of the Future Resilience for African CiTies and Lands (FRACTAL) project to address gaps in understanding climate-related terms. The game is designed for use in 'Learning Labs' to create a 'level playing field' of knowledge between city stakeholders, scientists, and policy makers. Participants cooperatively categorize statements and actions under concepts such as weather, climate, adaptation, mitigation, sustainable development, and disaster risk reduction. The activity aims to facilitate 'transdisciplinary knowledge integration' and build working relationships to increase the uptake of science in urban policy and planning.

The brief outlines ten recommendations for co-designing climate services, categorized by process, format, and content, to bridge the gap between climate science and policy implementation. Drawing on case studies from Karlstad and Stockholm, it emphasizes the need for iterative dialogue, the use of facilitators, and the alignment of climate data with existing planning tools to ensure that scientific information is actionable for practitioners.

The report advocates for social-ecological transformations in Asian cities to meet global climate and development goals. It focuses on three key sectors: the built environment, transport, and public participation, arguing that environmental protection must be integrated with social justice to avoid further marginalizing vulnerable populations. The authors highlight that while Asian cities are major GHG emitters, their density offers opportunities for efficiency. The report emphasizes the need for nature-based solutions, active transport, and inclusive governance, while noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has both exposed urban inequalities and provided a catalyst for rethinking unsustainable consumption and urban design.

The commentary asserts that bold climate action is not a trade-off with economic growth but an engine for it, potentially delivering $26 trillion in net global economic benefits by 2030. It advocates for 'people-centered climate action' that uses inclusive processes to unlock benefits for marginalized groups, such as recycling carbon pricing revenues to support low-income households. The text provides sector-specific opportunities in energy, urban planning, and food systems, while emphasizing that adaptation investments of $1.8 trillion could yield $7.1 trillion in benefits. It highlights real-world examples from Indonesia, Canada, and Spain to demonstrate how low-carbon transitions can reduce poverty and create millions of green jobs.

The paper argues that ignoring gender and power inequalities in climate change adaptation is maladaptive and leads to further exclusion. It advocates for 'gender-transformative adaptation'—which seeks to change the fundamental attributes of a system and address the root causes of vulnerability—across the natural environment, food security, sustainable cities, infrastructure, industry, and finance. The authors highlight how intersecting inequalities (income, ethnicity, age, etc.) compound vulnerability and recommend rigorous, participatory gender analyses to inform policy and project design. Key findings include the risk of 'elite capture' in the green economy and the critical need for women's land and resource rights to enable nature-based solutions.

RMI collaborated with the Lodha Group to implement a net-zero energy (NZE) district framework for Palava City, a greenfield development near Mumbai. The approach integrates energy, mobility, and water management to reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life. Key strategies include improving building envelopes, maximizing on-site solar generation, prioritizing non-motorized transport, and treating 100% of wastewater for on-site reuse. The project serves as a model for sustainable urban development in emerging markets.

The research examines the systemic nature of corruption and rent-seeking in South African metropolitan municipalities. It contrasts two distinct governance models: Cape Town's 'growth machine,' which leverages land rights and property development for established interests, and Nelson Mandela Bay's 'clientelist' regime, which relies on procurement and personnel rents to sustain patronage networks. The author argues that while growth machines may produce better overall development outcomes, neither model effectively serves the urban poor.

The research analyzes 164 NDCs to determine their alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It finds that while NDCs often function as de facto sustainable development plans, there is significant institutional fragmentation and a lack of quantifiable targets. The analysis categorizes SDGs into tiers based on their connection to climate action, highlighting strong links in energy and land use, but critical gaps in social and political goals such as gender equality and poverty eradication.

This report outlines the outcomes of the Climate Resilient Cities Initiative (CRC), a strategic alliance between the International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), and the Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) aimed at fostering climate-resilient development in small and medium-sized cities in Latin America.

The Msimbazi Basin in Dar es Salaam faces severe flood risks exacerbated by rapid urbanisation and climate change, with annual losses estimated at $47 million. To address this, the Tanzania Urban Resilience Programme (TURP) was established in 2016 to implement a holistic strategy involving risk identification, reduction, emergency preparedness, and a 'resilience academy'. A central component is the proposed Msimbazi Basin City Park, which employs a hybrid approach combining ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) with hard engineering to manage floodwaters while providing socio-economic and biodiversity benefits. The document highlights that the government secured $20 million by framing the project as 'urban planning, restructuring and resilience' rather than solely flood management, suggesting that cross-sectoral project packaging is essential for accessing diverse funding streams.

The report details a pilot project in Mongolia using the SDG Synergies approach to identify interactions between 17 targets from the Sustainable Development Vision (SDV) 2030. Centered on integrated water governance, the process involved a stakeholder workshop in Ulaanbaatar to map first-order interactions, followed by SEI's second-order and cluster analyses. The findings highlight the critical role of accountable governance and urban planning in driving sustainability, while identifying strong self-reinforcing synergies within the agriculture and food sectors. The project resulted in the Mongolian Cabinet approving guidelines for using the approach in sectoral policy development.

Ethiopia's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) serves as a roadmap to reduce climate vulnerability by mainstreaming adaptation into development activities, aiming to support the country's goal of achieving middle-income status by 2025. The process involves vertical integration across federal, regional, zonal, and woreda levels, ensuring dialogue between national and sub-national governments, civil society, and the private sector. The NAP is designed to guide the implementation of climate-resilient strategies already produced by various line ministries under the Climate-Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy. Key climate drivers identified include increasing temperatures, rainfall variability, droughts, and floods, with priority adaptation sectors encompassing agriculture, water, forestry, health, urban areas, industry, transport, and power.

The report details the technical and financial structuring of climate change adaptation plans for three Colombian sectors: Water and Basic Sanitation, Manufacturing Industry, and Housing, City and Territory. It establishes adaptation goals, indicators, and portfolios of measures for each, while providing estimated costs for prioritized actions. The process highlights a strong reliance on existing Disaster Risk Management (DRD) frameworks and a significant need for knowledge management and technical capacity building across all sectors.

The paper examines why climate service producers in Sweden struggle to provide actionable information for climate adaptation, shifting the focus from producer incompetence to the systemic constraints they face. Based on interviews and participant observation, the authors identify funding, institutional, and professional barriers, while noting that even when actionable information is delivered, other external factors may still prevent its translation into practical action.

The document finds that climate adaptation planning in Spanish cities is in its early stages, with only 11 of 54 analyzed cities having specific plans, most of which were developed in the last three years. While these plans show strengths in international network adherence and risk assessment, they lack binding legislation, dedicated budgets, and sufficient integration of equity and justice. The brief highlights Barcelona, Córdoba, and Murcia as high-performing cities and suggests that the Spanish state and regional governments should provide more technical and financial support, potentially through mandatory planning regulations similar to those in the UK, Denmark, France, and Slovakia.

The Climate-Resilient Cities in Latin America Initiative (CRC) focused on small and medium-sized cities (50,000 to 1 million inhabitants) to bridge the gap between research and concrete climate action. The initiative emphasizes that while these cities are highly vulnerable to hydro-meteorological disasters, they offer significant opportunities for resilience due to their proximity scale. Key strategies included the co-generation of knowledge using both scientific data and citizen perceptions, the implementation of low-cost technological prototypes, and the integration of a gender perspective to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women. The report argues for a localization agenda where resilience is integrated into local development plans and supported by greater fiscal and administrative decentralization.

The report analyzes the consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions of Umeå residents, finding an average footprint of 9.77 tonnes CO2e per person for survey participants (aged 20-84), which scales to 7.6 tonnes CO2e per person for the total population. Travel, particularly aviation and car use, is identified as the primary emission source, followed by food. The report identifies 'hotspots' including meat consumption, aviation, and housing energy, and recommends administrative, economic, and informative policy tools to reduce these impacts.

The SEI Initiative on City Health and Wellbeing focuses on the intersection of urban growth, environmental quality, and resident wellbeing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Using case studies in Nakuru, Kenya, and Udon Thani, Thailand, the initiative employs a multi-disciplinary approach to study the impact of urban forms, co-design citizen science monitoring, analyze urban metabolism through participatory modelling, and examine governance for urban equity. The goal is to generate evidence that informs holistic decision-making and sustainable urban planning, integrating health and wellbeing with climate change mitigation and resilience.

The document argues that South Africa's informal economy, which employs 4.5 million people, is characterized by low incomes and poor security. It criticizes state-led repression and the narrow focus of micro-enterprise support, proposing instead a transition toward formalization through the implementation of ILO Recommendation 204. Key recommendations include amending the Labour Relations Act and Basic Conditions of Employment Act to recognize own-account workers as workers, enhancing labour inspectorate capacity, and providing basic infrastructure for those working in public spaces. The brief specifically highlights the need for inclusive policies in informal retail and waste recycling, suggesting that corporate responsibility and innovative financing, such as Extended Producer Responsibility levies, be leveraged to support these sectors.