Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio describes the environmental regularization process for rural properties under Brazil's 2012 Forest Code. It details the steps for compliance, including the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), while highlighting significant legal, financial, and administrative barriers that hinder implementation across different states.

This annex outlines the role of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) in the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action (CRA) on Transdisciplinary Research for Pathways to Sustainability. While the IAI is not providing financial support for this phase, it is offering in-kind contributions through network facilitation, capacity building, and coordination with its 19 member Parties in the Americas.

The IAI report (July 2016 - May 2017) outlines progress in transdisciplinary climate research and science-policy integration in the Americas. Key achievements include the evaluation of the TISG seed grant program, the management of 17 CRN3 research networks, the launch of a climate impact MOOC with over 6,500 participants, and the establishment of a Science-Policy Liaison Office in Buenos Aires to measure scientific impact on regional governance.

This report analyzes the impact of the 'Green-Blue County Program' on forest cover in 28 selected counties in São Paulo State, Brazil, amidst the expansion of sugarcane plantations. Using multiple and simple linear regression models, the study examines whether this voluntary environmental policy effectively prevents deforestation caused by the growth of the biofuels industry between 2005 and 2009.

This report examines the environmental impacts of land use change (LUC) in the La Plata Basin, with a specific focus on the Brazilian Cerrado. It analyzes how the expansion of international commodities, forestry, cattle ranching, and biofuel crops—particularly sugarcane—affects soil carbon stocks and overall soil quality. The document highlights the role of agricultural technology in enabling this expansion and evaluates different management practices, such as no-tillage and the elimination of pre-harvest burning, to mitigate carbon loss and soil degradation.

The IAI activities plan for July 2016 – June 2017 outlines institutional transitions, research initiatives focusing on interdisciplinarity and ecosystem services, capacity-building seminars across the Americas, and science-policy engagements with international bodies such as the UNFCCC, UNCBD, and IPBES.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) activity plan for July 2016 to June 2017 outlines institutional transitions, research initiatives focused on interdisciplinarity, capacity-building seminars, and science-policy engagement through international forums and partnerships.

The IAI Directorate Report for June 2015 - May 2016 details the outcomes of the Small Grants for Collaborative Research in the Americas (SGP-CRA), the progress of the Third Collaborative Research Network Program (CRN3), and the establishment of the CONICET-IAI projects. The report emphasizes the integration of interdisciplinary science to inform policy and decision-making across the Americas.

This document is an auditors report for the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), presenting financial statements for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022. It details the organization's assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses, alongside descriptions of its intergovernmental structure and various scientific research programs funded by member nations and international agencies.

This document is a research cooperation agreement between the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), establishing FAPESP as an Associate of the IAI to enhance scientific networking and research on global environmental change in the Americas.

The First Addendum to the Scientific or Technological Cooperation Agreement between FAPESP and IAI extends the partnership's duration and expands the scope of collaboration to include equity, indigenous knowledge, and science diplomacy.

The GovernAgua project analyzed water governance in six South American river basins (in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay), finding that water crises are complex problems driven by ecological, climatic, economic, and governance factors. While crises have improved biophysical monitoring—such as turbidity measurement in Chubut and demand projections in the PCJ basin—responses remain largely reactive. The project emphasizes that basin committees with longer histories are better prepared for crises and calls for a shift toward integrated, anticipatory management and closer collaboration between science, policy, and society.

This policy brief analyzes the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) policies of the Sao Paulo State Government in Brazil, detailing the institutional, legal, and procedural frameworks used to integrate socio-environmental criteria into the purchase of goods, services, and construction works.

This compendium, led by India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), explores how G20 countries can promote energy-efficient lifestyles by combining rational motivations with positive emotional narratives. It highlights the 'Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) movement and provides case studies on energy efficiency in buildings, industry, and transport, emphasizing that human-centered communication can accelerate the transition to decarbonized economies.

This case study describes Patrick Assumpão's efforts to restore the Paraíba Valley in Brazil through agroforestry at Fazenda Nova Coruputuba. By combining native hardwoods like guanandi with food crops and unconventional food plants (PANCs), Assumpão aims to recover soil fertility and create sustainable markets. A 2018 ROAM study supports these efforts, suggesting that landscape restoration in the region could boost agricultural GDP by 32% and reduce soil erosion by 19%.

This report by the World Resources Institute synthesizes findings from a review of major bus improvements in 13 cities across Latin America and Asia. It evaluates the benefits, challenges, and lessons learned regarding the planning, implementation, and operation of bus systems, specifically focusing on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to provide recommendations for urban transport planners in developing nations.

This research paper examines how to attract private investment into Brazil's public transport sector by reducing perceived risks and aligning performance incentives, using case studies from São Paulo and Belo Horizonte.

The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities is a program of the World Resources Institute that works to transform urban areas into resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon environments. With a team of over 350 experts, the center focuses primarily on the global south, employing an integrated approach across land use, mobility, and energy efficiency to influence cities in over 75 countries.

This fact sheet by WWF South Africa examines water crises in several global cities to provide insights for Cape Town. It details the causes of water stress—ranging from lack of planning and infrastructure decay to climate-driven droughts—and evaluates the effectiveness of short-term responses versus long-term resilience strategies like demand management and supply diversification.