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The document advocates for the integration of rainwater harvesting into water resource management to improve livelihoods and protect ecosystems. It highlights the technology's ability to boost rainfed agriculture, reduce urban flood risks, and provide a decentralized alternative to expensive public water infrastructure. The brief emphasizes that rainwater harvesting is particularly essential for adapting to increased rainfall variability caused by climate change and can contribute to several Millennium Development Goals, including poverty reduction and gender equality.

The report analyzes the environmental and social footprints of China's rapid economic growth within three specific sectors: forestry, cotton, and E-products. It argues that because China is a central 'middleman' in global supply chains, it shares responsibility with international partners to address degradation. For forestry, the report highlights China's role as a major importer of illegally logged timber and recommends building capacity in supplying countries and adopting sustainable procurement. In the cotton sector, it notes high water and pesticide use in domestic production and suggests promoting sustainable sourcing and Sino-African cooperation. For E-products, it focuses on the crisis of E-waste and the toxicity of informal recycling, recommending a national E-waste strategy and international cooperation on responsible disposal. The overarching strategy emphasizes national capacity building, leveraging sustainable markets through green procurement, and active participation in international sustainability standards.

The report examines China's pivotal role as a major cotton producer, importer, and textile exporter, highlighting the environmental degradation caused by intensive chemical and water use in domestic production. It compares these impacts with those in other regions, noting that rain-fed production in West Africa offers a more sustainable alternative. The document evaluates four future scenarios up to 2020, arguing that internalizing environmental costs and shifting sourcing toward sustainable African production can improve global sustainability. Key recommendations include developing a national information strategy on sustainability, adopting international standards like the Better Cotton Initiative, and eliminating duties on African cotton imports.

The paper argues that current irrigation subsidy estimates are inconsistent and lack transparency because they often ignore capital costs, opportunity costs, and environmental externalities. It proposes two primary measurement approaches: a 'net cost to government' method, which subtracts total revenues (including hydropower and fisheries) from gross costs (including depreciation and externalities), and a 'net benefit to recipient' method, which compares the water's economic value to the price paid. The author highlights that irrigation is a major global water consumer, often heavily subsidized, which discourages efficient water use and leads to environmental degradation such as salinization and groundwater depletion.

The ACCCA project, running from 2007 to 2008, implemented 19 pilot actions across 17 countries in Asia and Africa to build capacity for climate change adaptation. The project focused on multidisciplinary risk communication, stakeholder engagement, and the integration of adaptation strategies into policy and local action plans. Key activities included identifying climate risks, assessing knowledge gaps, and developing risk communication materials to support decision-making in sectors such as agriculture, water management, and public health.

The report argues that humanity has depleted natural capital to achieve short-term gains, leading to a decline in 15 of 24 evaluated ecosystem services. It proposes a five-part action agenda: developing ecosystem service information, strengthening local community rights, managing across multiple scales, improving accountability, and aligning economic incentives. To implement this, the authors suggest creating new institutions such as Ecosystem Service Districts, Biome Stewardship Councils, a Commission on Macroeconomics and Ecosystem Services for Poverty Reduction, and a global Leaders' Forum.

The document outlines a four-year research project aimed at creating a pragmatic set of tools for adaptive policy-making, specifically focusing on sectors like agriculture and water resources management. It presents a preliminary framework for adaptive policies that distinguishes between mechanisms for adapting to anticipated conditions—such as integrated assessments and automatic adjustments—and those for unanticipated conditions, including the promotion of variation, subsidiarity, and self-organization. The project utilizes community-level case studies in Canada and India to identify policy mechanisms that facilitate short-term coping and long-term adaptation.

The IAI is managing the closure of its CRN I program and the implementation of CRN II and Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), while seeking new funding from the MacArthur Foundation and IDRC. The institute is expanding its regional network through collaborations with entities like IGBP, IUCN, and CEPAL, and is focusing on capacity building through research internships and specialized training institutes on climate risk, water management, and urban responses. Efforts to secure operational budget contributions from member countries like Guatemala and Uruguay are ongoing.

The petition argues that the arbitration between Biwater Gauf Tanzania Limited and Tanzania transcends a private commercial dispute because it concerns the privatization of water services, which is directly linked to basic human rights and the UN Millennium Declaration goal of increasing access to safe drinking water. The author contends that the public nature of the dispute and its potential as a model for poverty alleviation in Africa necessitate a transparent process that permits citizen participation.

The report provides a series of case studies and personal accounts from individuals in Australia, Brazil, Honduras, Malaysia, Mali, Peru, Swaziland, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. It argues that the most vulnerable populations—particularly indigenous peoples and those in the Global South—suffer the most from climate change despite contributing the least to it. The document details specific environmental disasters, such as Hurricane Catarina in Brazil and Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, and discusses local adaptation strategies including organic farming, mangrove reforestation, and community-led coastal defenses.

The IAI's 2007-2008 program focuses on implementing the human dimensions program (SGP-HD), expanding the CRN II network with climate and ocean linkages, and pursuing funding for Andean biodiversity and rural development. Key operational goals include developing a Strategic Plan, organizing a colloquium with NCAR, and conducting training on river use in semi-arid regions of Brazil.

The IAI's 2007-2008 annual plan focuses on launching the SGP-HD human dimensions program, expanding the CRN II network through ocean and climate projects, and developing a new Strategic Plan. Key planned activities include a proposal to evaluate climate change impacts on Andean biodiversity, a training institute on multi-use rivers in semi-arid regions of Brazil, and a summer school on land-use reaction strategies in Latin America.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) requests a core budget of US$ 1,014,931 for fiscal year 2007/2008, a level consistent with the previous two years. The budget supports the Directorate's operations, including the management of the CRN II Program, the implementation of the Small Grants Program for the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and the development of a new IAI Strategic Plan. A significant portion of the budget is allocated to salaries and benefits, with proposed adjustments to compensate for the loss of purchasing power of the US dollar against the Brazilian Real. The budget is funded by contributions from member countries, with the United States providing the largest share at US$ 595,000.

The IAI's central budget request for 2007/2008 is US$1,014,931, maintaining a stable funding level compared to previous years. The budget supports the administration of the CRN II program, the implementation of the Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD) with a US$800,000 budget, and the development of a new Strategic Plan to link science with policy. Key financial adjustments include proposed salary increases for international staff to offset the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation and exchange rate fluctuations in Brazil. Member contributions are led by the United States (US$595,000) and Canada (US$125,000).

The workshop brought together practitioners and policymakers to discuss early lessons from adaptation projects in south-eastern Africa. Key discussions focused on coping with extreme events, health impacts, and energy vulnerabilities, while exploring the distinction between development and adaptation projects. The event highlighted the need for participatory, community-led approaches and better access to climate data and international funding.

The report evaluates Hawai`i County's goals across ten areas, including affordable housing, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental stewardship. It argues that the loss of local land control to outside investors is the island's most critical challenge, driving a housing crisis and eroding the social fabric (ohana). RMI recommends implementing land trusts, deed restrictions, and green building standards to ensure permanent affordability. The document emphasizes 'whole-system thinking' to address root causes rather than symptoms, suggesting that the county maximize its local economic multiplier by producing energy and food locally. A significant portion of the report is dedicated to proposing specific indicators to measure progress toward these goals to ensure transparency and durability.

The document assesses how water management impacts poverty in Africa, highlighting a significant gap between political rhetoric and actual investment. It argues that current trends will leave millions of Africans without safe water and sanitation by 2015. The authors propose a conceptual framework focusing on four dimensions of poverty reduction: enhancing livelihood security, reducing health risks, reducing vulnerability, and promoting pro-poor economic growth. The report emphasizes the importance of 'green water' (soil moisture) alongside 'blue water' (rivers and lakes) and calls for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) that places poverty at its center. Key recommendations include public sector reform, stimulating internal capital investment, and adapting to climate change, which is projected to increase water stress for 75 to 250 million Africans by 2020.

The document highlights a gap between the scientific consensus on climate change's potential to alter California's hydrologic patterns and the actual integration of such analysis into water management planning. It introduces an integrated hydrology/water management climate change impact assessment framework designed to identify tradeoffs in ecosystem services and evaluate adaptation strategies. Using a '3S' standard (Sensitivity, Significance, and Stakeholder support), the authors rank decision-making processes to identify the three most critical areas where this analytical framework could transition climate research from academia to policy making.

The IAI's 2006/07 program focuses on transitioning from a period of scientific excellence to one of policy relevance and regional integration. Key initiatives include the implementation of the second Collaborative Research Network (CRN II), the synthesis of CRN I, and the development of a Program on Climate Variability in the Americas with CPTEC. The IAI aims to strengthen capacity building through seed grants, training institutes on disaster risk and climate impacts, and strategic partnerships with organizations like the UN ISDR and IICA. Administrative efforts are centered on optimizing internal processes through new manuals and an electronic proposal and report system.

The report examines adaptive policy-making in the agriculture and water sectors of India and Canada. It proposes a conceptual framework distinguishing between adaptability to anticipated conditions (using 'no-regrets' policies and automatic triggers) and unanticipated conditions (using structured learning and complex adaptive systems principles). Through case studies—including weather-indexed insurance and price policies in India, and the Crow Rate and Conservation Districts in Canada—the authors argue that devolved decision-making and alignment with ecological boundaries (such as watersheds) enhance a policy's ability to respond to unforeseen changes.