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Clean Energy 101: Energy System Resilience
The document distinguishes energy system resilience—the ability to maintain critical services during disasters—from reliability, which concerns day-to-day grid performance. It argues that aging infrastructure, volatile weather, and increasing demand necessitate a shift toward decentralized, renewable energy systems. A primary recommendation is the creation of 'resilience hubs': trusted community spaces powered by clean energy microgrids and energy efficiency measures that provide essential services during crises. The guide suggests scaling these efforts through collaborative funding, updated building codes, the use of electric vehicles as mobile batteries, and partnerships with insurers to incentivize resilient construction.
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Document type: Guide
Appraising country platforms: Aligning climate finance with development in developing and emerging economies
The report examines country platforms (CPs) as vehicles to integrate climate finance with national development goals in emerging economies. It argues that CPs must be country-led and grounded in macro-fiscal analysis to avoid debt vulnerabilities and ensure social inclusivity. Using the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) as a primary example, the document outlines criteria for effectiveness—including whole-of-government approaches and credible project pipelines—and proposes a four-quadrant analytical framework to guide their design. It also highlights the role of philanthropy in funding early-stage technical work and the necessity of overcoming structural path dependencies to achieve genuine economic diversification.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy 101: Renewably Powered Minigrids
The document defines renewably powered minigrids (or microgrids) as systems combining renewable energy sources, battery storage, and sometimes backup generators to provide power to communities or specific facilities. It details three configurations: isolated, undergrid, and interconnected. Case studies illustrate their use in the Caribbean for hurricane resilience, in Africa for expanding business and home energy access, and in the United States for reducing diesel reliance in remote areas and enhancing military facility resilience.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP) Dominica
The Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP) is a 60-month initiative requesting USD 24.53 million in grants from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to enhance climate resilience in Dominica. The project focuses on eight highly vulnerable communities, targeting improvements in climate-smart agriculture, the upgrading of national and community-level Early Warning Systems (EWS), and the retrofitting of multi-purpose emergency shelters with independent solar power and water storage. Key components include a matching grant mechanism for farmers to adopt resilient technologies, the development of a climate resilience knowledge hub, and the updating of national policies to integrate resilience principles. The project is executed jointly by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Government of Dominica's Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, and Social Security.
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Document type: Report
Climate change increasing pregnancy risks around the world due to extreme heat
Between 2020 and 2024, climate change increased the number of 'pregnancy heat-risk days'—days exceeding the 95th percentile of local temperatures—in every analyzed country. In 90% of countries and 63% of cities, these risk days at least doubled compared to a world without climate change. The most significant increases occurred in developing regions, particularly the Caribbean, where 15 countries saw an average of at least 60 additional risk days annually, representing roughly one-fifth of a typical pregnancy. Beyond heat, the report notes that climate-driven air pollution, flooding, and infrastructure damage further threaten maternal health and birth outcomes.
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Document type: Report
Advancing Integration of Climate and Health Policies in the Caribbean
The report identifies a critical need to accelerate the integration of health and climate policies in the Caribbean to address climatic vulnerability and a dual burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases. While there is general support for this integration, current links remain nascent and tenuous. Key barriers include siloed government operations, a rigid top-down policymaking process, inadequate financial and technical resources, and significant data gaps. Opportunities for progress lie in national development plans, international climate commitments, and the health co-benefits of renewable energy. The authors advocate for a 'climate in all policies' approach, enhanced multi-sectoral communication, and the use of analytical risk assessment tools to move from awareness to decisive policy action.
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Document type: Research paper
A Sustainable and Inclusive Trade Agenda for CARICOM
The policy brief argues that CARICOM lacks a cohesive trade strategy aligned with the global 'Sustainability and Inclusiveness' (S&I) agenda. It analyzes the region's economic vulnerabilities—including small market size, dependence on fossil fuels, and climate risk—and evaluates existing trade agreements like the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the CARIFORUM-EU EPA. The authors recommend a regional approach that integrates trade with policies on energy, climate change, the blue economy, and food security, while increasing the participation of non-traditional stakeholders such as MSMEs and civil society.
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Document type: Policy brief
Climate Emergency and Human Rights
The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) provides legal and scientific commentary to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, detailing how climate change exacerbates health crises in Latin America and the Caribbean. The document highlights the disproportionate impact of heat, wildfires, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases on vulnerable populations, including indigenous peoples and children. It argues that states have a legal duty under the American Convention on Human Rights and the Paris Agreement to prevent climate-related health harms. The brief recommends a transition away from fossil fuels, the elimination of 'sacrifice zones', and the adoption of sustainable land management to achieve health co-benefits and uphold human rights.
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Document type: Legal commentary
Solicitud de Opinión Consultiva Emergencia climática y derechos humanos
The Global Climate & Health Alliance (GCHA) argues that climate change is a critical threat to public health in Latin America and the Caribbean, exacerbating inequalities and violating human rights. The document details specific health impacts—including heat-related deaths, respiratory issues from wildfires and air pollution, and the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue—while highlighting the vulnerability of indigenous peoples, children, and the elderly. It asserts that states have legal obligations under the American Convention on Human Rights and the Paris Agreement to prevent climate-related health harms. The GCHA recommends a transition away from fossil fuels, the elimination of 'sacrifice zones,' and the implementation of sustainable land management and urban design to achieve health and climate co-benefits.
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Document type: Legal commentary
Project Preparation Facility
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is seeking GCF Project Preparation Facility (PPF) funding to design the BlueCo Caribbean Umbrella Coordination Programme. This 24-month preparatory phase involves 11 key activities, including baseline assessments, the creation of a Regional Blue Economy Framework, and the design of a Regional Coordination Mechanism. The programme intends to establish a long-term project pipeline to attract sustainable finance for a climate-resilient blue economy across multiple Caribbean SIDS, starting with an initial set of three to four high-impact projects. The request is supported by no-objection letters from several participating countries, including Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
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Document type: Report
Media Development
The document explores the intersection of power, memory, and communication rights. It argues for 'archival justice' in the Caribbean to include oral traditions and non-traditional records previously excluded by colonial Eurocentric practices. It examines the systemic discrimination against Caribbean French Creole languages and advocates for their official recognition. Additionally, it discusses the 'Communication for All' framework as a human right, proposing its integration as a standalone UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 18) to support the African Union's Agenda 2063.
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Document type: Research paper
Summary report of activities by the IAI Directorate during the 2022-2023 intersessional period
The IAI Directorate reported progress in integrating gender and equity into scientific projects, enhancing the science-policy interface through the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) and STeP fellowships, and implementing regional climate and health initiatives. Key achievements include the launch of a climate and health responder course for Latin America, the publication of a compendium on climate impacts in the LAC region, and the development of a drought information system for Southern South America. The Directorate also expanded its collaborative research actions with the Belmont Forum and established partnerships with organizations like the WMO and PAHO to improve climate risk assessments and early warning systems.
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Document type: Report
Readiness Support for the Implementation of the IRMF for the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) is seeking USD 199,966 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to align its project development processes with the new Integrated Results Management Framework (IRMF). The proposal aims to address human resource constraints within the CCCCC's Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU) to accelerate the flow of climate finance to the Caribbean. Key activities include updating the CCCCC's Project Formulation and Monitoring manuals, delivering capacity-building workshops for 15 PDMU staff, and providing technical support to finalize two critical funding proposals: the Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP) and the Climate Actions for Building Resilience in Coastal communities in the Caribbean (CABRIC Caribbean). The project is slated for a 12-month implementation period.
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Document type: Report
Multi-Country Climate Resilient Urban Development Initiative
The Multi-Country Climate Resilient Urban Development Initiative is a 36-month project requesting USD 1,961,539 to address systemic barriers to urban climate resilience in four CARICOM states. The initiative focuses on overcoming gaps in geospatial data, outdated planning legislation, and limited technical capacity at the municipal level. Key planned outputs include a regional gap analysis, the development of climate-resilient National Urban Policies (cr-NUP), a technical toolkit for urban planners, and the creation of four project concept notes to secure further GCF funding. The project is implemented by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) with technical support from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).
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Document type: Report
Healthy NDC Scorecard 2023
The Healthy NDC Scorecard 2023 analyzes 58 NDCs to evaluate the integration of health into national climate policies. While 90% of analyzed NDCs mention health and climate linkages, the report finds a significant mismatch between health recognition and actual climate ambition, particularly in G20 nations. Low- and middle-income countries generally achieved the highest health scores, while several high-income nations scored zero. The report recommends enhanced intersectoral collaboration, the quantification of health co-benefits to secure financing, and the exclusion of the fossil fuel industry from climate policymaking.
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Document type: Report
Finance for forests
The report finds that global forest finance is not on track to meet 2030 goals, with current mitigation finance averaging USD 2.3 billion per year—less than 1 percent of the estimated USD 460 billion annual requirement. It highlights a stark imbalance where 'grey finance' (harmful investments) significantly outweighs 'green finance,' and notes that Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain severely underfunded. While 2021 pledges could quadruple annual finance to USD 9.5 billion, this remains insufficient. The report also analyzes the limited impact of voluntary and compliance carbon markets and the slow progress of REDD+ frameworks.
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Document type: Report
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change
The report analyzes the 2020-2021 outputs of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs), noting a significant increase in climate-related references despite COVID-19 disruptions. It highlights a shift toward questioning developed nations on mitigation and fossil fuel extraction, alongside a consistent focus on adaptation and the participation of vulnerable groups. The document also examines key individual communications, such as Teitiota v. New Zealand and Sacchi et al. v. Argentina et al., which establish precedents for climate-induced human rights violations and extraterritorial jurisdiction.
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Document type: Report
Human Rights Obligations of States in the Context of Climate Change
The Human Rights Committee (CCPR) has increased its focus on climate change, issuing more recommendations and questions to states between 2019 and 2021. While early outputs primarily targeted Small Island Developing States and developing countries, the Committee has expanded its scope to include developed nations like Germany and Canada. Key areas of inquiry include mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and the regulation of private actors, with specific concerns raised regarding fossil fuel extraction in Guyana, Tanzania, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In the case of Teitiota v. New Zealand, the CCPR recognized that climate change could trigger non-refoulment obligations if it creates real threats to the right to life, though it found no breach in that specific instance. Additionally, the Pereira Benega v. Paraguay ruling established a precedent for state obligations to prevent environmental threats to private, family, and cultural life.
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Document type: Briefing
Strategic Actions for advancing climate action in CARICOM Member States
The proposal seeks to address barriers to climate action in the Caribbean, including outdated policy frameworks and limited access to climate science. It aims to revise the Regional Framework's Implementation Plan, update the CARIWIG data portal, support the revision of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and develop four bankable project concept notes for the Green Climate Fund.
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Document type: Report
BLUE ACCELERATION: AN OCEAN OF RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The report describes the 'Blue Acceleration,' a phenomenal increase in the diversity and scale of ocean-based industries since 2000. It argues that while the ocean is viewed as an economic frontier, the benefits flow disproportionately to a small number of powerful states and corporations, leaving SIDS and LDCs exposed to risks. The document details the environmental and social impacts of sectors like offshore wind, deep-sea mining, and industrial fishing, while highlighting the emergence of interconnected 'Anthropocene risks' including climate-driven regime shifts and stranded assets. It concludes by exploring the role of sustainable finance in redirecting the ocean economy toward equity and stewardship.
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Document type: Report