Search Climate Insights Directory

The document examines the gap between soybean production and rural insurance coverage in Brazil, highlighting how climate change exacerbates risks through extreme events. Using LASSO machine learning models, researchers demonstrate that while insurance data is scarce in regions like the North and Northeast, agricultural yield data can effectively identify climate variables—primarily precipitation, fire risk, and wind—that drive production losses. The brief argues for expanding insurance to vulnerable regions like MATOPIBA and improving the solvency of insurers through reinsurance and public-private funds to support a low-carbon agricultural transition.

Analysis of FEMA heat data and Yale Climate Opinion Maps reveals a positive correlation (r = 0.12) between extreme heat exposure and worry about global warming in the U.S. However, a specific group of 217 counties—primarily in the Midwest and South—exhibit high exposure but lower-than-average worry. These counties, representing 6.4 million people, are characterized by higher proportions of white residents, rural populations, and 2020 Republican voters compared to the national average. The authors argue that these gaps in risk perception increase vulnerability to heat-related illness and death, necessitating tailored educational outreach and policy responses.

The report compares the Proagro and PSR rural insurance programs in Brazil, finding that Proagro's design—where the government assumes risk while financial institutions operate the program—creates significant information asymmetries and moral hazard. This leads to higher claim rates and increasing costs for the National Treasury. In contrast, the PSR, where private insurers bear the risk, shows greater efficiency and growth, though it struggles to reach small-scale producers. The authors recommend migrating resources toward the PSR, improving claim verification through technology and training, and integrating sustainable farming criteria into risk zoning to enhance the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture.

Analysis of 246 U.S. locations shows that 74% have experienced an annual increase in extremely hot days since 1970, with Austin, TX seeing the largest increase. The document highlights that extreme heat risks are higher in traditionally cooler regions due to lack of acclimatization and infrastructure, and that vulnerable populations including children, seniors, and low-income households are disproportionately affected.

President Biden has ordered federal agencies to conduct a one-year inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal land to identify threats and inform future protection policies. Earthjustice argues that protecting these forests is critical for climate mitigation, noting that federal forest lands sequester 35 million metric tons of carbon and that logging is the primary driver of forest carbon loss across the United States. The organization advocates for a nationwide rule to safeguard these forests from logging and the continued defense of the Roadless Rule.

Between 1970 and 2021, growing degree days (GDD)—a measure of heat accumulation used to track plant and pest development—increased at 97% of 246 analyzed stations across the contiguous U.S. The average increase was 525 GDD, with the most significant rises occurring in the West, Southwest, and South. While some plants may benefit, increased GDD is linked to higher water and heat stress, altered agricultural schedules, and longer pollen seasons that exacerbate health issues like asthma and hay fever.

The 2022 update of this public opinion study reveals that while Americans are increasingly concerned about plastic pollution and supportive of producer responsibility, they express significant skepticism regarding the efficacy of recycling. A majority of respondents believe businesses are most responsible for reducing plastic waste and show strong support for positive-incentive regulations, such as beverage container refund programs, over taxes or fees. The report also highlights disparities in recycling access and behavior based on geography, housing tenure, and income.

The report examines BNDES's impact on Brazilian agricultural investment credit, noting that disbursements nearly quadrupled in real terms between 1995 and 2020. The bank's credit is heavily concentrated in crop activities, particularly soy, and the acquisition of harvesters and tractors. Geographically, the Center-West region has become the primary recipient of these funds, reflecting the expansion of the agricultural frontier. Unlike general rural credit in Brazil, which is dominated by public banks, BNDES equipment credit is primarily channeled through private commercial banks and manufacturer-owned banks.

The report analyzes Brazil's rural credit system, highlighting its complexity and fragmentation. It provides empirical evidence that rural credit, particularly when directed at small farmers, increases land and labor productivity and reduces deforestation by promoting the conversion of degraded pastures into cropland. The document argues for simplifying the credit system, increasing private sector participation, and strengthening the link between credit access and compliance with the Forest Code to ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

The document examines how credit cooperatives in Brazil serve as an efficient tool for financial inclusion, particularly for small rural producers. It highlights that while overall rural credit declined by 14% between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, cooperative credit grew by 51.3%, increasing its market share from 11% to 17.5%. The brief explains that cooperatives reduce transaction costs and information asymmetry due to their proximity to producers. Geographically, cooperative presence is strongest in the South, Midwest, and Southeast regions, while it remains scarce in the North and Northeast. The analysis also details the interbank relationship where commercial banks use cooperatives to meet mandatory rural credit application requirements. Finally, it outlines the tax and regulatory advantages cooperatives hold over traditional banks, such as exemptions from Income Tax and CSLL on cooperative acts.

The document examines how credit cooperatives in Brazil serve as critical distribution channels for rural credit, particularly for small and medium-scale producers. It highlights that while total rural credit fell by 14% in real terms between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, cooperative lending grew by 51.3%, increasing its market share from 11% to 17.5%. The brief attributes this success to the cooperatives' proximity to borrowers, which reduces transaction costs and information asymmetry. It also details the interbank relationship where commercial banks use cooperatives to meet regulatory requirements for rural credit distribution. Geographically, cooperative presence is strongest in the South, Central-west, and Southeast, while remaining scarce in the North and Northeast.

The report finds that while Americans are concerned about the impact of plastics on marine life and water quality, they often feel unable to avoid plastic packaging or believe their individual actions are insignificant. There is strong public support for producer responsibility, with businesses ranked as the most responsible party for reducing plastic waste and the entity that should pay for recycling infrastructure. While there is broad support for positive regulations like credits and refund programs, Americans are more divided on taxes and fees.

The report examines the adoption of no-till farming, tractors, and fertilizers in Brazil from 2006 to 2017. It finds that while no-till farming has become more spatially decentralized, tractor use has become more concentrated in wealthy, urbanized regions, and fertilizer use has increased without a clear spatial pattern.

The report identifies three distinct patterns of agricultural technology adoption in Brazil from 2006 to 2017. The Direct Planting System (DPS) is converging, becoming more widespread across the country. Tractor use is diverging, with increased concentration in wealthier, urbanized regions of the South and Southeast. Fertilizer use has increased overall but lacks a clear spatial pattern, with growth scattered across diverse regions including the Cerrado and Caatinga.

The policy brief analyzes the Brazilian National Rural Credit System (SNCR), arguing that its complex structure—comprising numerous funding sources and programs with intricate eligibility criteria—creates significant disparities in financing. It highlights how geographic location, outdated farm size definitions (fiscal modules), and shifting revenue thresholds lead to inconsistent credit access for similar producers, potentially resulting in underinvestment and lower agricultural productivity.

The policy brief analyzes the Brazilian National Rural Credit System (SNCR), highlighting how a multiplicity of funding sources and programs—such as the Plano Agrícola e Pecuário (PAP) and Pronaf—creates a fragmented regulatory environment. It argues that credit access is often determined by geographic location, outdated property size metrics (fiscal modules), and fluctuating income thresholds rather than agricultural potential. This fragmentation leads to unequal financing conditions for producers with similar profiles and increases uncertainty, potentially resulting in under-investment and reduced productivity.

The document analyzes the Brazilian rural credit system, highlighting that the availability of financing is often determined by the distribution of banks and cooperatives rather than local agricultural potential. It identifies significant geographic concentration in the South and Southeast regions and a complex web of funding sources and programs that lead to inconsistent credit conditions for producers.

The report argues that Haiti is characterized by a 'phantom state' where a small economic elite maintains power through symbiotic relationships with security forces and external actors, particularly from the United States. This structure has led to extreme inequality, the marginalization of the poor, and a chronic lack of public services in health, education, and energy. The analysis highlights a dramatic decline in voter turnout in recent elections, suggesting a crisis of political legitimacy for presidents Michel Martelly and Jovenel Moïse. It further details the environmental degradation caused by a heavy reliance on biomass energy, the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate shocks and trade liberalization, and the prevalence of organized crime, including child trafficking through private orphanages. The report also examines the role of international actors, noting that aid often bypasses the Haitian state, further weakening its capacity.

The research finds that demand-side factors are the primary drivers of distributed solar PV adoption in Brazil, often outweighing the availability of solar resources. Analysis shows that municipalities with higher GDP, larger populations, and higher electricity tariffs have more PV units, while solar radiation only becomes a significant positive predictor when comparing municipalities within the same electricity distributor's concession area. The authors argue that current subsidy policies in the Northeast region artificially lower tariffs, hindering PV growth in areas with the highest solar potential. They conclude that climate mitigation policies must address demand-side frictions and tariff structures rather than focusing solely on natural resource availability.

The report details shifts in how Americans in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West experienced extreme weather between Fall 2012 and November 2013. It highlights a general consensus on the vulnerability of agriculture and electricity systems, with a majority of citizens advocating for government prioritization of water supplies, transportation, and public health. Additionally, 56% of Americans believe global warming is impacting U.S. weather.