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This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the critical role of ecosystem services in buffering human populations against climate change and the risks associated with the loss of ecological resilience. It highlights how environmental degradation, combined with climate stressors, increases human vulnerability—particularly for poor and marginalised groups—and may trigger large-scale forced migration and humanitarian crises.

This policy brief, based on a 2008 study commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, examines the integration of climate change model information into agricultural decision-making in Africa. It identifies a significant gap between climate science producers and agricultural users, noting that vulnerability is driven by poverty, lack of infrastructure, and natural resource dependence. The document advocates for 'anticipatory adaptation' and the creation of multi-disciplinary platforms to bridge the communication gap between scientists and practitioners.

This report by Friends of the Earth International presents testimonies from individuals and communities in nine countries—Australia, Brazil, Honduras, Malaysia, Mali, Peru, Swaziland, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom—to highlight the human impact of climate change. It emphasizes that populations in the Global South and indigenous peoples are the most vulnerable due to their close ties to land and water. The document argues that current government and international responses are often insufficient or misaligned with local needs, advocating instead for a global movement based on climate justice, the restoration of traditional lifestyles, and a transition away from fossil fuels.

This research paper explores methodologies for linking global food system scenarios with local food security and livelihood dynamics. Using case studies from India and South Africa, the authors demonstrate how top-down global scenarios (such as those from the Global Scenario Group) can be downscaled to national and provincial levels, while proposing a bottom-up approach that uses livelihood systems as an intermediate scale to better capture local vulnerability and adaptive capacity.

This report from the Executive Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) details activities from July 2003 to June 2004. It focuses on implementing six strategic goals related to research network growth, scientific agenda definition, capacity building in scientifically weaker countries, knowledge synthesis, dissemination of results, and increasing the institute's institutional profile.

This briefing document presents the updated Scientific Agenda of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), as presented during the CE-XVII and CoP-X meetings in June 2003. The agenda defines the IAI's mission to understand the integrated impact of past, present, and future global change on the regional and continental environments of the Americas through four broad research themes.

This report documents a series of three outreach events held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from August 6 to 8, 2014, to launch and disseminate the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The events, which included a press conference, a formal launch for policymakers, and a session for young leaders, aimed to translate the global scientific findings of the AR5 into the local context of Bangladesh to support national development planning and climate resilience.

This briefing presents ten recommendations from experts in India, Pakistan, and Nepal for the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Key proposals include mandating community involvement in monitoring, integrating DRR with climate change adaptation, addressing urban risks in informal settlements, and mainstreaming DRR into national budgets and local financial institutions.

This report describes the methodologies used to assess climate risk and vulnerability in the tropical Andes, combining dendrochronology, hydrometeorological networks, in-situ sensors, and global circulation models to create climate change scenarios for conservation planning.

This research paper reviews the current and planned climate change adaptation actions in Ghana. It identifies the northern regions and the agricultural sector as the most vulnerable and the primary focus of adaptation projects. While Ghana has established national policies and strategies, the report notes a gap in concrete actions within sectoral policies and a need for a more robust evidence base through monitoring and evaluation.

This working paper, produced by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), proposes a set of foundational and process principles for applying intersectional approaches to climate change adaptation. Based on a May 2024 knowledge co-production workshop, the paper outlines how to integrate intersectionality across the four stages of the iterative adaptation cycle—risk assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—to better address the structural inequities that exacerbate vulnerability for marginalized groups.

This case study describes the 'Increasing Community Resilience to Drought in Makueni District' project in Kenya, part of the broader ACCESA regional initiative. The project implements strategies to reduce smallholder farmers' vulnerability to climate variability through improved water access, agronomic training, and income diversification, while working to integrate these lessons into national policy.

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) discusses the application of resilience measurement in the agricultural sector, specifically focusing on a study conducted in eastern Ontario, Canada. It outlines a system-based approach to developing resilience indicators that move beyond traditional risk-reduction to assess the capacity of socioeconomic and natural systems to absorb shocks and transform.

This briefing paper from the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the identification of 'climate vulnerability hotspots'—regions where natural systems and human populations are highly susceptible to climate change risks. It argues that while identifying these areas is essential for targeting adaptation strategies, such analysis must integrate multiple factors, including socio-economic data and local knowledge, to avoid overlooking the internal social processes that make specific individuals or groups vulnerable.

This policy brief examines the intersection of an ageing population and climate change in the UK, highlighting the varying carbon footprints of different age groups and the specific vulnerabilities of older people to extreme weather. It argues for a coordinated national policy framework to reduce the climate vulnerability of older people while leveraging their willingness to contribute to climate solutions.

This briefing note presents the results of a baseline vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Tri-National de la Sangha (TNS) landscape, specifically focusing on four community forests in Cameroon. Part of the COBAM project, the study used participatory methods to analyze how climate-related disturbances, such as erratic rainfall and shifting seasons, affect local livelihoods, agriculture, and forest resources, while identifying opportunities to strengthen adaptive capacity through livelihood diversification and improved collective action.

This briefing paper from the Stockholm Environment Institute addresses the gap between global climate and socioeconomic scenarios and local social realities. It argues that current global models, such as the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES), often fail to capture the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of local vulnerability. The document proposes a ten-step 'glocal' research methodology to integrate global drivers with local outcomes by focusing on the changing relationships between them to better inform adaptation strategies.

This paper explores the difficulties of delivering adaptation finance to the most vulnerable people and introduces a framework to assess delivery. It highlights that while international climate finance to developing countries increased between 2008 and 2012 to meet UNFCCC commitments, and developing governments have increased their own spending, questions remain regarding how this money is used and if it reaches the local level. The Adaptation Finance Accountability Initiative (AFAI) addresses these questions by analyzing finance flows in Nepal, the Philippines, Uganda, and Zambia.