Search Climate Insights Directory

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Quarterly Status Report, dated May 11, 2010, details the institute's financial standing for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, highlighting significant challenges in collecting member country contributions and a critical lack of core budget reserves.

The document contains the minutes and action list from the Twenty-Eight Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC), held on May 21, 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia. The meeting focused on strategies to improve member country engagement, the review of the Host Country Agreement with Brazil, and the synthesis of science from the Climate Research Network (CRN) programs.

The minutes of the 28th Executive Council (EC) meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on May 21, 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia, detail strategies to improve member country engagement, the revision of the Host Country Agreement with Brazil, and the synthesis of scientific research from the CRN program.

This fact sheet describes the TRopi-dRy research network, which studies the human and biophysical dimensions of Tropical dry forests (TdFs) in the Americas to promote sustainable management.

This fact sheet describes a research project initiated at the end of 2008 to investigate how expanding agriculture and forestry, and the resulting land use and cover changes, impact the regional hydroclimate of the La Plata Basin and interact with climate change.

This fact sheet describes project CRN2014, which investigates how land use and cover change (LUCC) and climate affect soil microorganisms, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), across temperate and tropical ecosystems in the Americas.

The DIVERSUS Collaborative Research Network is developing an interdisciplinary framework to analyze how land cover change (LCC) affects functional biodiversity, ecosystem properties, and the resulting ecosystem services that support human livelihoods across diverse environments from the tropics to the tundra.

The project examines hydrological cycles in the American cordillera, specifically in North America and basins in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Initial results include a 700-year tree-ring reconstruction showing severe 14th-century droughts in the high Andes that led to social conflict and village abandonment. In Chile, a slight decline in streamflow over the last century is noted, with significant rainfall drops in 1945 linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Additionally, drought risk in the southern Andes was higher between 1920 and 2002 than between 1346 and 1919, threatening agriculture and hydroelectric power.

This case study by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute examines Cuba's transition from a fragile, centralized electricity system to a more resilient model based on energy efficiency and distributed micropower. Following severe blackouts in 2004 and 2005, the Cuban government launched 'La Revolución Energética' in 2006, which combined mass deployment of efficient appliances, inverted electricity tariffs, and the installation of thousands of microgenerators to eliminate blackouts by 2007 and improve grid resilience against natural disasters.

The report details the second year of project CRN-2094, which investigates how land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) affect the hydroclimate and extreme weather events in the La Plata Basin. Key activities include the development of a Land Data Assimilation System, the use of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) to improve regional climate models, and the implementation of agricultural monitoring tools in Paraguay.

This executive summary evaluates the current scientific knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the tropical Andes. It identifies the region as a global biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism, particularly in cloud forests and high-altitude ecosystems. The document details how rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and habitat fragmentation threaten species' survival and the ecosystem services—such as water regulation and food security—upon which over 40 million people depend. It advocates for adaptive management, the creation of connected conservation corridors, and increased inter-institutional coordination to mitigate these risks.

This 2010 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the challenges and opportunities for energy security and integration in South America, focusing on the pivotal role of Brazil. The author argues that while the region possesses vast energy resources, national regulations and a lack of multilateral frameworks create insecurity and underutilization of low-cost resources. The report proposes a Multilateral Energy Security Reserve (RMSE) treaty to stabilize supply and suggests that Brazil's market size and leadership in renewables make it the ideal coordinator for a secure, competitive regional energy market.

This 2010 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the causes of energy insecurity in Argentina, focusing on the long-term impacts of 1990s privatization and macroeconomic reforms. It details how a shift toward private investment and a reliance on natural gas for electricity generation created a precarious supply system, exacerbated by the strategies of multinational corporations like Repsol-YPF and the failure of regional gas agreements.

The document analyzes the second Africa South America summit held on 27-28 September 2009 on Margarita Island, Venezuela, focusing on efforts to strengthen South-South co-operation as a counterweight to Northern influence and the ideological divisions among participating nations.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) delivered opening remarks at the 18th Session of the SCCR in June 2009, advocating for a new international instrument on copyright exceptions and limitations to improve access for the disabled, libraries, and education.

The minutes of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC), held on May 18, 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia, detail discussions on the institute's financial status, budgetary planning for FY 2009-2010, proposed amendments to the standing rules of the EC and Conference of the Parties (CoP), and the ongoing development of a strategic plan.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Quarterly Status Report for the period ending March 31, 2009, details the institute's financial standing, budget performance, and administrative updates. It highlights a shortfall in member country contributions, overall spending that is below budget, and ongoing efforts to resolve host country agreements and internal controls.

This 2009 report by the Centro de Estudos de Integração e Desenvolvimento (CINDES) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the evolving relationship between Brazil's trade agenda and sustainable development (SD). While the Brazilian government has historically opposed linking trade negotiations to environmental and social standards, the report highlights how private actors, agribusiness, and transnational companies are increasingly forced to adopt these standards due to international market pressures, investment requirements, and unilateral measures from developed nations.

This document contains the proceedings of a two-day workshop held in August 2009 by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and EcoSanRes. The workshop focused on the legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks required to promote the sustainable reuse of nutrients from wastewater, human excreta, and greywater across various global regions.

This report by Friends of the Earth International critiques the European Union's 'Global Europe' strategy, arguing that its pursuit of a 'new generation' of bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) prioritizes the competitiveness of European transnational corporations over sustainable development, food sovereignty, and the sovereignty of developing nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.