Search Climate Insights Directory

The document analyzes the intersection of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and gender equality in agriculture. It evaluates five major standards—Fairtrade International, IFOAM (Organic), Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified, and 4Cs—across six key themes: household food security, access to productive resources, education, unpaid domestic work, decision-making/empowerment, and decent work. The guide finds that while VSS can indirectly improve women's status through increased income and sustainable practices, they can also inadvertently exacerbate inequalities if local gender dynamics are ignored, such as by prioritizing commercial crops over women's subsistence farming or increasing women's unpaid labor to meet certification quality requirements. It provides specific recommendations for development organizations to implement 'gender-transformative' approaches, including providing childcare during training and supporting women's land rights.

The document outlines a climate risk assessment of water resources in Uganda's Ruhezamyenda catchment, emphasizing the need to address risks from changing temperatures, rainfall patterns, and extreme weather. It aims to integrate these findings into local planning and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), while noting the use of Nature-Based Solutions since 2015 to reduce climate vulnerability through ecosystem restoration and management.

The IEU report covers its operational progress between November 2019 and February 2020, highlighting the completion of evaluations on country ownership and environmental and social safeguards. It details the progress of the Learning-Oriented Real-Time Impact Assessment (LORTA) programme, the publication of evidence gap maps on forestry and adaptation, and the unit's 95% budget expenditure rate for 2019.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) convened a global meeting in Cape Town from January 8-10, 2019, bringing together over 130 participants to address the question of how everyone can get a stake in the green economy. The event resulted in five core findings, a set of policy recommendations for the UN-PAGE Ministerial, and a framework for the GEC's next ten-year strategy. The report highlights a global trend toward green investment—noting over 9 trillion of private investment since 2007—while warning that biodiversity is in crisis and the global financial system is structurally unfit for the environmental crisis. It also provides status updates on green economy initiatives in several GEC hub countries, including South Africa, India, Mongolia, Peru, Senegal, and Uganda.

The report details how developing countries approach investment treaty negotiations, highlighting a trend toward renegotiating outdated agreements and the use of model treaties. It identifies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and investment authorities as the primary leads in negotiations and provides a detailed mapping of ratification processes across various nations.

The report evaluates the hydrological impact of climate change on the Lake Bunyonyi catchment within the Ruhezamyenda catchment in southwestern Uganda. Using the COSERO hydrological model and CMIP5 global climate model ensembles under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, the study projects increases in temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration for the mid-term (20412070) and far future (20712100). While runoff trends show significant uncertainty, there is a general trend toward increasing runoff, particularly in the far future under RCP8.5. The report identifies 'no-regrets' adaptation options focusing on governance, land management, and data collection to address risks such as soil erosion, landslides, and wetland degradation.

The document details a climate risk assessment of the Ruhezamyenda catchment in Uganda, which found the area extremely vulnerable to higher temperatures and increased precipitation. It outlines a multi-step process for mainstreaming these findings into catchment management plans and provides strategic recommendations for Uganda's broader National Adaptation Plan (NAP), emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral coordination, local stakeholder engagement, and the use of existing scientific data to avoid costly redundant modeling.

The report details a series of Swedish-led dialogue forums in five countries aimed at integrating climate policies (NDCs) with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Common findings across the forums include a critical need for capacity building at local levels, the challenge of translating national policies into regional implementation, and the necessity of securing both international and domestic financing. While stakeholders generally recognized the synergies between NDCs and SDGs, concerns persisted regarding trade-offs between rapid industrialization and environmental sustainability. Country-specific insights highlight Vietnam's focus on integrated water management, Tanzania's debate on the economic costs of environmental degradation, Zambia's emphasis on research and solar potential, Cambodia's focus on inter-ministerial policy coherence, and Uganda's concerns over institutional silos and external financing dependencies.

Sunny Irrigation provides affordable, portable solar-powered water pumps to smallholder farmers in Africa, utilizing a pay-as-you-go financing model to overcome high upfront costs. The company integrates geospatial data analytics and plans to implement IoT-based controllers to provide agronomic advice, enabling farmers to grow high-value crops and increase yields. Currently piloting in Kenya, the company targets a potential market of over 10 million farmers across Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

The document examines the link between community land tenure and global sustainability goals, highlighting that while indigenous and rural communities manage over 50% of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. It presents evidence that secure tenure reduces deforestation and carbon emissions more cheaply than technological carbon capture. The author calls for legal reforms, simplified formalization procedures, and a more equitable playing field between communities and corporations to protect these critical carbon sinks and support rural livelihoods.

The study evaluates the resilience of the Eastern African Power Pool's electricity infrastructure against climate-induced water availability variations, finding that planning for a slightly wetter climate than historical trends provides the most resilient strategy. It highlights that failing to climate-proof investments can lead to significant electricity price fluctuations in countries like Uganda and Tanzania, whereas Egypt is less vulnerable.

The document analyzes the precarious transition of power in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the announcement that Félix Tshisekedi won the December 30 election with 38.57% of the vote. It highlights immediate hurdles, including contested election legitimacy, the risk of violence from supporters of Martin Fayulu, and the necessity of securing the acquiescence of Joseph Kabila's regime and the military. The author argues that regional stability depends on Tshisekedi's ability to cooperate with leaders in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Africa, and Angola, as well as the continued engagement of the UN Security Council through MONUSCO.

The guide outlines strategies for climate communication in low- and middle-income countries, emphasizing the need to frame climate action as a tool for poverty reduction and sustainable development. It advocates for 'co-production' of knowledge, the use of diverse messengers, and the application of social marketing techniques to drive policy and behavioral change. Key recommendations include using 'demonstration effects' to show tangible resilience solutions, employing data visualization and mapping to make invisible risks visible, and leveraging ICTs to amplify under-represented voices. The document also addresses the importance of scientific accuracy when attributing extreme weather events to climate change and warns against the financial risks of 'stranded assets' in fossil fuel-dependent economies.

The document serves as a practitioner's guide for communicating climate change in developing nations. It emphasizes moving away from scientific jargon toward narratives that highlight the benefits of climate-compatible development, particularly for the poor. The guide outlines strategies for targeting diverse audiences—including governments, businesses, and the general public—and advocates for the use of 'demonstration effects' and data visualization to make climate risks tangible. It includes numerous case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America illustrating successful interventions such as participatory mapping, community radio, and the use of 'stranded assets' as a policy framework.

The document outlines a framework for effective climate communication in developing countries, emphasizing the need to link scientific data with local lived experiences. It provides guidance on audience segmentation, the use of 'demonstration effects' for adaptation solutions, and framing mitigation as an economic opportunity. The guide includes numerous case studies from regions such as India, Kenya, Peru, and Bangladesh, illustrating the use of creative tools like participatory theater, citizen mapping, and role-playing games to engage policymakers and marginalized groups.

The report finds that while electricity finance in 20 high-impact countries reached a record USD 36 billion in 2017, it remains far below the USD 51 billion annual requirement for universal household access. Clean cooking finance saw a critical decline, dropping 73 percent in 2017 compared to the 2015-16 period. The analysis highlights a systemic failure to direct funds toward the most vulnerable, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and emphasizes the need for innovative financing mechanisms like results-based financing and pay-per-service models to bridge the gap.

The report finds that while electricity finance reached a high of USD 36 billion in 2017, only one-third benefited residential users, and clean cooking finance plummeted by 73% compared to 2015-16. It highlights severe underinvestment in Sub-Saharan Africa and the need for innovative financing to reach vulnerable groups, including women and displaced persons.

The toolkit argues that while Savings Groups consistently improve women's economic independence, achieving broader social empowerment requires integrated gender programming and more holistic measurement systems. It proposes a framework covering seven domains: economic independence, decision-making, confidence and self-worth, voice and leadership, time use, mobility, and health. The document provides guidance on developing Theories of Change for different intervention types, selecting standardized and customized indicators, and using data segmentation to understand how empowerment varies across different groups of women.

The GEC 2019 briefing reviews the global transition to green economies, noting that while renewable energy and green finance grew in 2018, biodiversity loss and inequality remain critical. The document outlines the GEC's mission to champion inclusion, equity, and environmental limits through financial reform, natural capital accounting, and just transitions. It emphasizes that environmental protection is dependent on improving human livelihoods, citing specific examples of community-led success and the need for structural economic reform.

The document outlines Uganda's green economy efforts, noting the development of the Third National Development Plan and a Draft Climate Change Bill. It emphasizes the economic risk of climate inaction, which could cost between US$ 3.2 and 5.9 billion over ten years, and details the degradation of the River Rwizi catchment due to farming and mining.