Search Climate Insights Directory

The IAI is conducting a Regional Assessment to better understand how global environmental change (GEC) affects the decisions of its member Parties. Through surveys and subregional listening sessions held in 2022, the IAI identified 'climate action' as the most important current national priority for 14 Parties. Key barriers to using scientific information include a lack of intersectoral collaboration and a lack of science available for non-technical audiences. The assessment has grouped member countries by shared priorities and identified specific regional focuses, such as water security in the Southern Cone and biodiversity in the Andean subregion. Next steps include a deep analysis of collected data and a review of national policy documents, with results to be communicated at CoP-31.

As of September 30, 2022, the IAI had received 38% of its approved contributions for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Total expenditures for the July-September period were $314,865, which is 10% lower than the budgeted $350,000. While salaries remained within budget, travel and training costs exceeded projections by 12.4% due to high ticket prices. Other categories, including equipment, operational costs, and dissemination, were under budget due to postponed purchases and improved resource management.

This report, prepared by the IAI Directorate for the Executive Council's fifty-fourth meeting, outlines the primary achievements and activities of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research from 1 July 2022 to 11 October 2022. It details progress in science communication, capacity building, and strategic partnerships aimed at addressing global environmental change in the Americas.

The IAI Executive Directorate reports progress on science and capacity building between July and October 2022. Key activities include the 'Climate and Health Responder Course for Latin America', the publication of a compendium on climate impacts in LAC, and the expansion of the STeP fellowship program to 45 fellows across 8 countries. The IAI also coordinated participation in the UNGA77 Science Summit and the SRI2022 congress, while establishing a Steering Committee for a Center for Science Diplomacy.

The document asserts that the global food crisis is driven by an industrial food system that prioritizes profit over human rights and the environment. It highlights how neoliberal policies, corporate concentration in agribusiness, and climate change have created fragility and hunger. The author calls for a radical transformation toward food sovereignty and agroecology to ensure the right to food and protect biodiversity.

The author proposes that China can leverage its role as a major investor and creditor in Latin America to support climate action. Key suggestions include adopting a crediting mechanism for clean energy projects similar to Japan's JCM, implementing debt-for-climate swaps (specifically citing Ecuador's potential), and negotiating free trade agreements that prioritize environmental services and green goods.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is forming a committee to recruit a new Executive Director, as the current term ends on 31 May 2023. Interested Parties must apply by 9 September 2022. The committee will review nominations, interview candidates, and provide recommendations to the Conference of the Parties during an extraordinary meeting tentatively scheduled for February 2023.

The 30th meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP-30) focused on administrative governance, financial sustainability, and the advancement of transdisciplinary climate research in the Americas. Key outcomes included the approval of the 2022-2023 operating budget, the adoption of a revised Scientific Agenda, and the establishment of a Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy. The meeting also initiated the recruitment process for a new Executive Director and planned for the 31st meeting to be hosted by Panama in 2023.

The E-Mobility Program for Sustainable Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean is a 450 million USD initiative (200 million USD from GCF) designed to accelerate the transition to commercial electric vehicles (EVs) and enhance the climate resilience of urban transport systems. The program focuses on high-utilization commercial vehicles, including buses, taxis, trucks, and vessels, while excluding private passenger cars. It integrates EV deployment with sustainable urban mobility measures, such as cycle lanes and pedestrianization, and explores advanced technologies like green hydrogen and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems to improve grid stability. The program targets nine countries: Barbados, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Key goals include reducing GHG emissions by 7.55 million tCO2e and benefiting approximately 8.9 million people through adaptation measures.

The Gender Action Plan for the E-Motion Sub-Program 2 in Panamá, Paraguay, and Uruguay establishes a framework to integrate gender equality into the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs). The plan focuses on three primary outputs: conducting country-level gender assessments to inform EV roadmaps, facilitating regional knowledge exchange on gender in transportation, and integrating gender-responsive components into financed sub-projects. Key objectives include improving women's access to green jobs, addressing sexual harassment in public transport, and accounting for 'mobility of care' in infrastructure design. The program allocates a total budget of 621,000 USD for these activities, including the employment of a four-specialist gender implementation team.

This document is a list of participants for the 53rd Meeting of the Executive Council to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held on 14 June 2022 in Montevideo and via videoconference.

The document outlines the logistical arrangements for the COP-30 and the 53rd Executive Council meeting of the IAI held on June 14-15, 2022, in Montevideo, Uruguay. It details the venue at Hotel Hyatt Centric, accommodation options, transportation from Carrasco Airport, and registration procedures. Additionally, it specifies COVID-19 entry requirements for vaccinated, previously infected, and unvaccinated foreign citizens, alongside practical information on visas, currency (Uruguayan Peso), electricity (220V), and local weather conditions for June.

The IAI Executive Directorate reported progress in science and capacity building between 2021 and 2022, despite COVID-19 challenges. Key achievements include the expansion of the Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) fellowship to 45 fellows across 10 countries, the launch of a virtual campus, and the development of a new Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy. The IAI also strengthened regional health-climate research, particularly in the Caribbean and South America, and expanded its science diplomacy initiatives through new partnerships and the planned establishment of the IAI Center for Science Diplomacy.

The IAI Directorate reported progress in science and capacity building between 2021 and 2022, highlighting the expansion of the STeP Fellowship program to 45 fellows across 10 countries and the launch of the IAI Virtual Campus. Key scientific efforts included contributions to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report and the development of climate-health tools for the Caribbean. The Directorate also focused on science diplomacy, establishing the IAI Center for Science Diplomacy and partnering with the Belmont Forum to fund transdisciplinary research. Efforts to increase inclusivity led to the drafting of a Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and the provision of 100 scholarships for students from Latin America and the Caribbean to attend the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2022.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is seeking comments on a new policy designed to enhance gender balance and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within its scientific projects and capacity building activities. The policy aims to ensure the equitable participation of underrepresented groups and reduce bias in the implementation of IAI activities in the Americas. Feedback is requested by 22 April 2022 for submission at COP-30 in Montevideo.

In 2021, wind and solar generated over 10% of global electricity for the first time, but record-high electricity demand led to a record rise in coal power and the largest absolute increase in power sector CO2 emissions ever recorded.

In 2021, wind and solar power reached a record 10.3% of global electricity generation, but this growth was insufficient to offset a historic surge in electricity demand. Consequently, global coal generation and power sector CO2 emissions both hit all-time highs, with coal meeting 59% of new demand. While 50 countries now derive over 10% of their power from wind and solar, the report warns that the global energy transition is significantly off track from the IEA's net-zero pathway, which requires wind and solar to grow by 20% annually through 2030.

Uruguay's Country Programme to the GCF details the nation's commitment to a low-carbon, resilient economy. It identifies key vulnerabilities—particularly in agriculture and coastal zones—and sets mitigation targets for energy and food production. The document establishes the Ministry of Environment as the National Designated Authority and outlines a pipeline of projects focusing on e-mobility, coastal resilience, and REDD+, while pursuing GCF accreditation for the Corporación Nacional para el Desarrollo (CND) and Banco República Oriental del Uruguay (BROU).

The document argues that reducing methane emissions by at least 45% by 2030 is essential to meet the 1.5°C target. It details sector-specific interventions: transitioning to agroecology and plant-based diets in agriculture, eliminating fossil fuels and fixing leaks in the energy sector, and implementing a waste hierarchy focused on organic waste prevention and composting in the waste sector. It further proposes a global governance framework based on monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), national action plans, and financial assistance for developing countries.

The report examines the marginalization of agricultural biodiversity within the CBD and argues that industrial agriculture is a primary driver of biodiversity loss. It contrasts the 'peasant food web' with the 'agro-industrial chain,' highlighting the superior ecological and social outcomes of small-scale farming. The document criticizes 'false solutions' such as carbon offsets, sustainable intensification, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS), which it claims mask corporate interests. It calls for the new Global Biodiversity Framework to explicitly promote agroecology, protect the rights of indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers, and phase out industrial agricultural practices and harmful subsidies.