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1,008 documents from Climate and Development Knowledge Network
From frost to flow: An exemplary community-led initiative for water supply in Ladakh, India
A pilot project in Gangles, Ladakh, successfully implemented an insulated piped water network to overcome freezing temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius, providing 75 litres of water per person per day. The initiative relied on a partnership between the Public Health Engineering Department, NGOs, and the local community, who contributed to costs and maintenance to ensure ownership. The project's success, characterized by the use of ultrasonic meters and telescopic tariffs, has led to its replication across 11 Indian mountain states and the planning of a city-wide system for Leh.
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Document type: Case study
Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change - what hope for Ethiopia’s water sector?
The document examines Ethiopia's efforts to integrate climate adaptation into national policy, specifically highlighting the water sector as the primary medium for climate impacts. While Ethiopia has established a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and is developing the Carbon Neutral Climate Resilience Ethiopia (CNCR-E) programme, progress is hindered by resource shortages, fragmented governance across ministries, and technical capacity constraints. The text warns that international finance mechanisms focusing on 'additional' funding may inadvertently encourage peripheral 'add-on' projects rather than integrating adaptation into routine sector planning and budgeting.
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Document type: Briefing
Mobile app tracks Costa Rican coffee’s carbon footprint
The NAMA Café de Costa Rica initiative has deployed a mobile app and MRV system to track carbon footprints in the coffee sector, leading to a significant correction in national emission estimates for coffee from 8% to 1%. The system collects real data from farmers and mills to identify emission sources—primarily fertiliser, agroforestry, pulp, waste water, and fossil fuels—and supports the adoption of low-emission technologies and premium market access.
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Document type: Case study
Using climate services for more climate-resilient planning and policy-making in Malawi
The case study finds that while Malawi has a Climate Change Policy and priority areas in its Growth and Development Strategy, ministries are not yet using long-term climate projections in decision-making. Barriers include a perceived lack of sub-national and sector-specific data, timing mismatches with planning cycles, and difficulties in accessing technical information. Planners identified a need for multi-year forecasts (up to five years) and information on extreme events like floods and droughts to inform medium- and long-term planning.
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Document type: Case study
Lessons from the INDC process in The Gambia
The Gambia's INDC process, launched in January 2015 with support from the German government and CDKN, highlights the value of using the process to build national capacity and stakeholder buy-in. However, the process also reveals significant limitations in technical analysis due to a lack of robust time series data and cross-sectoral analysis. Ultimately, the document argues that while technical inputs are essential, the final determination of INDCs is a political decision driven by leadership and political will.
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Document type: Case study
Priority CCD actions for Pakistan
Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing only 0.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The document outlines the need for Pakistan to align its climate adaptation and mitigation strategies with national development plans to secure funding and political buy-in. Key priorities include developing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP), updating greenhouse gas inventories for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), and engaging the private sector, particularly in solar power.
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Document type: Briefing
National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change
The authors contend that while international UNFCCC negotiations move slowly, rapid progress in domestic climate legislation—particularly in emerging economies—is shifting the center of gravity of the climate debate. They argue that national actions driven by self-interest and co-benefits, such as energy security and resource efficiency, are prerequisites for an effective international treaty.
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Document type: Statement
Looking to the G20 for climate leadership
The document calls for G20 leadership in the climate transition, noting that these economies produce 80% of global carbon emissions. It argues that climate action is essential for long-term economic prosperity, citing risks of GDP loss and the high cost of inaction compared to the cost of current investment. The authors urge G20 members to meet the March 2015 timeline for emission reduction commitments ahead of the Paris treaty.
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Document type: Statement
Overcoming Institutional Instability in Cartagena de Indias
The case study describes how Cartagena de Indias has insulated its climate change agenda from political instability through the creation of interinstitutional structures, the integration of adaptation guidelines into municipal planning, and the involvement of diverse public, private, and academic stakeholders.
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Document type: Case study
How will the Green Climate Fund allocate its money?
The briefing argues against a 'grand unified formula' for resource allocation, suggesting instead that the GCF use separate funding envelopes for different objectives to balance global efficiency with equity. It recommends that adaptation funding be allocated based on vulnerability-adjusted population numbers and poverty intensity, while mitigation funding could be managed through competitive Quantity Performance Payment (QPP) instruments. The author cautions against using inappropriate proxy metrics for funding needs and suggests implementing funding floors to ensure all eligible countries receive some support.
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Document type: Briefing
Durban lays the foundation for further work, in 2012 and beyond
The LDCs group expressed mixed reactions to CoP17, welcoming the operationalisation of the Adaptation Committee, the start of national adaptation plans, and the governing instrument of the Green Climate Fund. While the group supported the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, it noted that Durban failed to resolve central mitigation issues, leaving global temperatures on a path to rise by 3 to 4 °C. The LDCs call for developed countries to provide Quantified Emission Limitation and Reduction Commitments (QELRC) and for urgent clarity on the predictability and additionality of climate finance.
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Document type: Statement
Index-Based Mortality Livestock Insurance in Mongolia
The Index-Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) project in Mongolia provides financial security to herders by triggering payouts based on aggregated livestock mortality rates rather than individual losses. This mechanism addresses the challenges of traditional insurance in sparsely populated areas and helps protect the livestock sector, which accounts for roughly 80% of the value added in Mongolia's agriculture sector. The program is designed as part of a broader risk management strategy to encourage sustainable grazing and adaptation to climate change, which has increased the intensity of droughts and dzuds.
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Document type: Briefing
Using the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to understand how Africa's climate is changing
The document explains the step-by-step process for navigating the IPCC's Interactive Atlas to analyze climate variables and presents specific projections for Africa, noting that the continent is likely to warm faster than the global average with varying impacts on rainfall and extreme weather.
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Document type: Guide
Modelling Mozambique's low-emissions future
The document details a project supporting Mozambique in modelling low-emissions scenarios using the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) and the REDD Abacus model. Focusing on agriculture and energy, the project found that switching to solar-powered irrigation and agroforestry could significantly reduce emissions. These integrated scenarios were used to inform the country's next NDC. The project also emphasized national capacity building and peer learning through the Africa LEDS project, sharing findings with other nations like Ghana.
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Document type: Case study
Devolving climate finance: Lessons from a Kenya-Nepal peer exchange on locally-led adaptation
The document details a knowledge exchange between Kenya and Nepal focused on devolved climate finance. It highlights Nepal's challenges in accessing international funding and the potential for Nepal to replicate Kenya's Financing Locally-Led Climate Actions (FLLoCA) model and County Climate Change Funds (CCCF) to empower local governments and communities in climate adaptation.
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Document type: Case study
Seeking capacity development results
The case study examines 'The Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa' programme (2013-2015), which trained over 130 professionals across eight African nations. It highlights the effectiveness of combining professional workshops with mandatory Action Plans and mentor-mentee relationships to bridge the gap between training and implementation. Key outcomes included the integration of climate change into Tunisia's national planning terms of reference and the approval of a flood management project in Maputo, Mozambique.
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Document type: Case study
Locally-Led Adaptation: From risk to resilience, a story from Ghana's Upper West Region
Communities in Ghana's Upper West Region are implementing locally-led adaptation strategies, such as dry season gardening and the use of Zai pits, to combat inconsistent rainfall and food insecurity. While facing financial constraints and gender disparities in information access, these communities leverage local leadership, by-laws, and community radio to enhance their adaptive capacity.
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Document type: Case study
Integrating resilience into infrastructure – a wicked problem
The document describes the integration of resilience into infrastructure as a 'wicked problem' that requires moving beyond the thinking that created current challenges. While global agreements like the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework provide a foundation, the author notes that weather-related disasters account for approximately 80% of global disasters, disproportionately affecting infrastructure in low-income countries. The text emphasizes a dual need for small-scale infrastructure for immediate disaster response and large-scale infrastructure for long-term climate variability. It highlights the work of CDKN and the Global Water Partnership (GWP) in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania to move from policy frameworks to the mainstreaming of climate into infrastructure design and delivery.
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Document type: Statement
A call to action for gender-just, low-carbon economies
The document argues that climate change disproportionately harms disadvantaged people and that current policies are failing to achieve gender equality and low-carbon commitments. It calls for the integration of gender equality and low-carbon development goals to avoid 'maladaptation' and ensure just transitions. The call to action provides specific recommendations for governments, multilateral organisations, the private sector, and LGBTQIA+ movements to foster gender-equitable 'green' and 'blue' economies, improve women's access to resources, and increase the climate literacy of gender equality movements.
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Document type: Statement
Ambitious and coherent? Reviewing the pre-zero draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
The briefing evaluates the pre-zero draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, praising its commitment to quantified targets and inclusion of vulnerable groups, but criticising its structural logic and insufficient integration of climate change, finance, and conflict-affected states.
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Document type: Briefing