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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.

The minutes of the 27th Meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on May 18, 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia, detail administrative, financial, and strategic decisions intended for submission to the Conference of the Parties (CoP). Key outcomes include the approval of the 2009-2010 operating budget, recommendations for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), and proposed amendments to the EC and CoP regulations to optimize meeting schedules and costs.

This research paper examines the economic impact of the 2010 European airspace closure caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland on African trade. It highlights the vulnerability of agricultural exports—specifically perishables like flowers—and argues that the crisis serves as a wake-up call for African nations to diversify their export destinations beyond Europe to include South-South trade partners like Brazil, India, and China.

This research paper analyzes the intersection of climate change and human rights, specifically focusing on the role of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). It details how global warming threatens rights to food, water, health, and housing, and examines international jurisprudence where environmental harm has been linked to human rights violations. The paper evaluates the marginal role of human rights in the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks and suggests that the CESCR can better monitor State compliance by integrating climate-specific questions into its reporting guidelines and utilizing the Optional Protocol for climate-related complaints. It concludes with eleven recommendations for the Committee to systematically anchor climate considerations in its work.

This fact sheet describes a project to reduce agricultural production risks for soybean farmers in Eastern Paraguay and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, by implementing a climate-based decision support system (DSS) that utilizes seasonal forecasts and crop growth models.

This research paper examines the role of defence cooperation within the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) framework, focusing on the strategic position and military capabilities of South Africa relative to its partners.

This report reviews the economic feasibility of low-carbon and climate-resilient growth in developing countries. It finds that significant mitigation is possible with minimal GDP impact (1-2% reduction globally), often driven by low-cost energy efficiency. However, it highlights critical gaps in current research, specifically the failure to account for implementation costs, the over-reliance on static MACC models, and the lack of a clear framework for 'climate resilient growth' beyond simple adaptation. It emphasizes that while Middle Income Countries face higher pressure to reduce emissions, Low Income Countries can leverage co-benefits and carbon finance to align low-carbon paths with development goals.

The National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010 from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) reviews the global and regional geopolitical landscape following the global financial crisis. It highlights South Africa's role in the G20 and the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, discusses political instability in Africa—specifically in Zimbabwe, Niger, Nigeria, DRC, and Sudan—and outlines the Zuma administration's foreign policy priorities, including strengthened ties with Angola, Brazil, and the UK.

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 the SACC project, an international consortium studying ocean-related global and climate changes in South America, with a specific focus on the exchange processes between the deep ocean and the Patagonian shelf.

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 policy briefing examines the evolving relationship between the United States and Brazil, noting that while the US now recognizes Brazil as a genuine emerging power and a vital player in global politics, translating this awareness into a concrete 'special relationship' is hindered by divergent priorities in security, trade, and regional leadership.

This policy briefing examines the impact of emerging market investors—specifically the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China)—on the African business landscape and the resulting challenges and opportunities for South African companies and their continental ambitions.

This research paper, prepared by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) for the UN High Level Task Force (HLTF), examines the intersection of the right to development and climate change. It focuses specifically on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol, evaluating whether its design and implementation align with human rights-based criteria for development. The author argues that while the CDM mobilizes private funds for mitigation, it suffers from governance gaps, inequitable geographical distribution of projects, and a lack of procedural safeguards for affected communities.

This fact sheet describes a project examining the impacts of coastal environmental variability and climate change on pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus paulensis) artisanal fisheries in the Patos Lagoon estuary of southern Brazil, focusing on social vulnerability and adaptation capacity.

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 SAEMC (South American emissions, megacities and climate) project focuses on developing regional climate change scenarios and operational chemical weather forecasting tools to address deteriorating air quality in South American megacities.

This fact sheet describes a research project focused on the Rio de la Plata Basin, examining the drivers and consequences of land use change, specifically the trade-offs between food and biofuel production and the maintenance of ecosystem services.

This fact sheet describes a study analyzing transition zones (ecotones) between forest and non-forest sites across one Canadian and four South American locations to understand how climate change and human intervention drive ecosystem displacements.