Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper analyzes the shifting landscape of maritime piracy in Africa, contrasting the decline of Somalia-based piracy with the significant rise of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea. It examines the different tactics used in these regions, the impact on Africa's 'blue economy', and the regional security strategies being implemented by West African states and the African Union.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law provides an overview of cases from 2013 involving the harassment, criminalization, and killing of land and environmental rights defenders globally. It highlights the systemic risks faced by individuals opposing extractive industries, large-scale development projects, and land grabbing, noting that these defenders are often targeted by both state forces and non-state actors, including corporations.

This policy briefing examines the engagement of African nations with the G-20's financial regulation and development initiatives. It highlights the challenges of aligning international standards, such as Basel II/III, with local developmental goals and identifies the institutional channels through which African countries can influence global financial policy.

This briefing is a concept note for a conference titled "The APRM +10: Reviewing a Decade of Peer Learning and Projecting a Future of Governance in Africa," scheduled for May 17–18, 2013, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event aims to bring together African civil society organisations (CSOs) and governance structures to appraise the first ten years of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and plan for its second decade.

This policy brief explores the potential for a 'Green Revolution' in Africa, using the International Futures (IFs) model to compare scenarios of agricultural intensification. The authors argue that while aggressive policy interventions could make Africa a net food exporter and significantly boost GDP, such production increases must be coupled with social policies to ensure food access for the poor and improvements in water and sanitation to realize human development gains.

This policy briefing examines the rapid expansion of economic and political ties between Chad and China since 2006, centered primarily on oil investment and the Rônier project. It analyzes how President Idriss Déby has integrated Chinese assistance into his domestic political strategy and the resulting tensions over oil pricing and regional security.

This report, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesizes the findings of the IPCC's SREX report specifically for African policymakers. It examines the interaction between climate extremes, human vulnerability, and disaster risk management (DRM), emphasizing that disaster risks in Africa are increasing due to both climate change and socio-economic factors such as rapid urbanization and poor governance. The document provides regional observations and projections for temperature and precipitation extremes across Africa and advocates for the integration of DRM and climate change adaptation into national development planning to build long-term resilience.

This 2012 report synthesizes the IPCC SREX findings for Africa, highlighting that disaster risk is increasing due to higher exposure of vulnerable populations. It details observed and projected increases in temperature and dryness across various sub-regions, warns that current extremes will become the 'new normal' by 2100, and emphasizes the high vulnerability of the agricultural sector and coastal cities. The document advocates for a shift from reactive to proactive, transformational disaster risk management that integrates local knowledge, high-level political leadership, and international financial support.

This briefing synthesises the IPCC SREX report's findings on climate extremes and the agriculture sector. It highlights that disaster risk is increasing due to higher exposure and vulnerability, particularly in developing countries. Key threats include intensified droughts, heatwaves, and flooding, which cause significant economic losses and threaten food security. The document advocates for 'climate-smart' agriculture, improved disaster risk management, and a combination of short-term coping strategies and long-term structural adaptations to build resilience.

The Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012 report details the results of a voluntary survey conducted by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in late 2011. The survey gathered feedback from 202 participants—including NGOs, individual consultants, and research institutes—regarding the quality of CDKN's products, its effectiveness in knowledge sharing and partnership facilitation, and its overall influence on organizational practices and policies.

This report by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) details global campaigns to defend community rights against corporate interests and neoliberal paradigms. It highlights various case studies where local and indigenous communities have resisted extractive industries, such as mining in Costa Rica and the Philippines, oil exploitation in Nigeria, and tar sands in Canada and the US, while promoting alternatives like community forest governance and food sovereignty.

This report marks the 40th anniversary of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI), detailing its evolution from a small group of activists into a global federation of 76 member groups with over 2 million members. It outlines the organization's mission to achieve environmental and social justice by resisting neoliberal economic models and promoting sustainable alternatives such as food sovereignty and climate justice.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of safeguards and the pursuit of 'multiple benefits' within the REDD+ mechanism established by the Cancun Agreements. It explores how safeguard systems can move beyond a 'do no harm' approach to actively promote sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and biodiversity conservation. The document analyzes various international safeguard standards, reviews how developing countries are integrating these into their Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs), and discusses the institutional and financial challenges of creating a transparent information-sharing system for monitoring compliance.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the African Union's (AU) principle of rejecting unconstitutional changes of government. It analyzes the 'democrat's dilemma'—the tension between maintaining constitutional order and supporting popular uprisings against authoritarian regimes—specifically in the context of the 2011 Maghreb revolutions.

The REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report documents a January 2011 gathering in Manila, Philippines, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and ASB-ICRAF. The meeting aimed to build policy capacity for developing country negotiators and land managers to ensure that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) mechanisms deliver a 'Development Dividend'—balancing robust greenhouse gas reductions with sustainable development benefits, equity, and quality safeguards.

This report documents a capacity-building workshop held in Douala, Cameroon, from May 10–12, 2011, focused on transitioning REDD+ from international negotiation to national implementation. The event, delivered by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the ASB Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins at the World Agroforestry Centre (ASB-ICRAF), brought together over 55 participants from 17 African countries to discuss safeguards, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), the role of agriculture as a driver of deforestation, and financing mechanisms.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies discusses the status of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC) in Africa during the Seventh Review Conference in December 2011. It advocates for the universalisation of the treaty across the continent, the strengthening of the BTWC's Implementation Support Unit (ISU), and the alignment of the convention with Africa's specific developmental and public health needs.

This report summarizes a conference held on May 31, 2011, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The event brought together experts, diplomats, and academics to analyze the causes and implications of the 2011 popular revolutions in North Africa, specifically in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, while also examining the situations in Algeria and Morocco and the potential for similar unrest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A joint submission by various civil society organizations to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) criticizing its Social and Environmental Sustainability Policy, Performance Standards, and Disclosure Policy. The document argues that the IFC relies too heavily on unverified client data, fails to protect human rights—particularly those of indigenous peoples and women—and lacks transparency in its dealings with financial intermediaries and the extractive industry.

This research paper evaluates the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), highlighting its achievements in promoting governance and self-reflection among African states while warning of current crises regarding transparency, leadership integrity, and the marginalization of civil society.