Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explains how intersecting systems of inequity—such as racism, ableism, and patriarchy—create structural barriers and conditions that increase individual and group vulnerability to climate change. It advocates for an intersectional approach to climate risk assessments to ensure adaptation actions are effective and equitable.

This research paper presents a systematic review of 155 studies to examine how global Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) are being reimagined and extended through regional lenses to improve their relevance for adaptation and vulnerability research.

This research paper examines the vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies of agricultural and livestock producers in southeastern Arizona, finding that while groundwater use is a critical adaptation strategy, the utility of seasonal climate forecasts is limited by low risk tolerance and economic uncertainty.

This research paper examines how water policies in the arid Americas interact with land and neoliberal policies to exacerbate vulnerabilities among disadvantaged groups across rural and urban settings. The authors analyze four specific case studies to demonstrate how disconnected management, water rights transfers, and competition for resources increase disparities and recommend more inclusive policymaking and systematic data collection to protect livelihoods.

This research paper uses a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate vulnerability and institutional capacities regarding extreme rainfall events (EREs) in three Latin American coastal localities, focusing on the relationship between socio-economic indicators, legal frameworks, and citizen participation.

This research paper examines the intersection of climate change and the human rights of older persons, arguing for their prioritization in climate action decision-making while highlighting their potential as resources for sustainable futures.

This executive summary details a study on the institutional capacity to respond to climate change impacts on water resources and agriculture across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The research identifies significant gaps in adaptive capacity, particularly for vulnerable populations, and suggests policy interventions to mitigate climate and water stresses.

This executive summary describes a project analyzing the capacity of institutions to respond to climate change impacts on agriculture and water resources across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The study evaluates vulnerabilities of social actors, institutional capacities for water management, and future hydrological scenarios to inform national and regional climate adaptation policies.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines how climate change, poverty, and marginalization drive labour migration and affect children in Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on those who migrate or are left behind.

This technical brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) summarizes key findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II) regarding gender, equity, and justice in climate change adaptation. It translates technical scientific data into accessible messages and illustrative examples, specifically contextualized for African geographies, to help practitioners implement more inclusive and effective adaptation strategies.

This briefing provides an overview of indicator-based tools used to assess ocean risks and vulnerabilities, based on a systematic review of grey literature and peer-reviewed articles. It highlights a tendency to focus on climate change over other risks and notes significant data gaps in specific developing regions.

This research paper provides an overview of climate change adaptation in Ghana, analyzing the country's vulnerability, existing policy frameworks, and the significant gaps in climate finance and local-level implementation. It argues for a shift from top-down planning toward locally-led adaptation to better address the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics discusses the findings of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), specifically the Working Group II (WGII) report on impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. It outlines the severe effects of human-induced climate change on ecosystems and humans, the increasing frequency of extreme weather, the disproportionate impact on marginalised populations, and the critical need for transformative adaptation and mitigation to avoid catastrophic economic and social costs.

This document is a research protocol outlining a methodological plan for a mixed methods systematic review. The review intends to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation finance in sub-Saharan Africa by synthesizing academic and grey literature to determine how project characteristics and funding modalities influence adaptation outcomes, specifically regarding climate change risk and vulnerability.

This SEI fact sheet, based on a study in the journal Climate Policy, analyzes international public finance for climate change adaptation in Africa from 2014 to 2018. The authors identify five critical shortfalls: insufficient funding levels compared to mitigation and actual needs, a lack of strategic targeting toward the most vulnerable countries, narrow sectoral focus, low disbursement rates of committed funds, and a reliance on loans over grants.

A case study assessing how climate-related risks to household water security affect women in the Centre-East region of Burkina Faso, highlighting the role of gendered norms and ethnicity in driving vulnerability.

This report examines the specific climate change risks, vulnerabilities, and adaptation challenges faced by girls and young women in the agricultural communities of Northern Thailand, highlighting how these experiences are intersected by age, gender, poverty, legal status, ethnicity, language, and education.

This research paper uses China as a case study to examine how economic development influences vulnerability to climate-related disasters, finding that while economic growth reduces human fatalities, it is associated with an increase in direct economic losses.

This research paper examines whether climate change adaptation efforts inadvertently shift risks and vulnerabilities between different people and places, concluding that such redistribution is largely ignored in practice and empirical research.

A letter from a coalition of civil society organizations to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board urging the adoption of a holistic approach to climate adaptation that recognizes the overlap between adaptation and traditional development activities.