For billions of people, mountain meltwater is essential for drinking water and sanitation, food and energy security, and the integrity of the environment. But today, as the world warms, glaciers are melting faster than ever, making the water cycle more unpredictable and extreme. And because of glacial retreat, floods, droughts, …
The assessment highlights the critical role that cutting methane emissions, including from the fossil fuel industry, plays in slowing the rate of global warming. Cutting human-caused methane by 45% this decade would keep warming beneath a threshold agreed by world leaders. There are multiple benefits to acting including: the rapid …
Social protection can be a strategic tool for climate risk management and provides an important answer to the current calls for climate action and for increased resilience as we recover from COVID-19. The Paris Agreement demands rapid action to keep the average temperature from rising above 1.5 degrees, but also …
This report presents domestic emissions pathways required to keep to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit for five countries: Viet Nam, Philippines, India, Indonesia and Japan and assesses if current 2030 climate targets are in line with these pathways. Pathways are derived from the pathways assessed in the IPCC Special Report …
Important mitigation outcomes and other co-benefits could be at reach if rural communities and policy makers in low- and middle-income economies overcame the obstacle of access to finance in the livestock sector. The traditional sources of financing have long been difficult to access for livestock smallholders who often do not …
Agriculture is one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, so managing climate risks across agricultural investment projects is fundamental. The new guidance document, Climate resilient practices: typology and guiding material for climate risk screening, is a reference manual to support FAO’s climate risk screening …
Agroecology is increasingly seen as being able, or even necessary, to transform food systems (HLPE 2019). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) commissioned this rapid evidence-based review to assess the quality and strength of evidence regarding …
Climate change is one of the greatest threats to food security, poverty reduction and sustainable development across the world. To cope with the consequences of climate change, innovative solutions are needed. Blockchain technology is one of them – but what is it and how can it be used?. The United …
This report discusses under the current trajectory, global GDP could be 11–14% less by mid-century than in a world without climate change. The loss under Paris Agreement targets would be significantly less (around 4%). Economies in south and southeast Asia are the most vulnerable to climate change effects; advanced economies …
Adaptation to and resilience against the impacts of climate change are urgent and growing priorities around the world as levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase. Investing in climate change adaptation and resilience can be an extremely cost-effective way of protecting communities’ livelihoods and businesses, and promoting …
Deforestation rates are significantly lower in Indigenous and Tribal territories where governments have formally recognized collective land rights, according to a new report. Jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the …
This paper assesses quantitative estimates based on economic modelling studies of the economic and environmental benefits from different forms of international co-ordination on carbon pricing. Forms of international co-ordination include: harmonising carbon prices (e.g. through linking carbon markets), extending the coverage of pricing schemes, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, developing …
Afghanistan is one of the least developed and most vulnerable countries to climate change. The high dependence of its population on agricultural livelihoods, fragile environment, poor socio-economic development, high frequency of natural hazards and over four decades of conflict make Afghanistan vulnerable to climate change. Considerable expansion of adaptation action …
This paper explores data and methods to assess the alignment or misalignment with climate mitigation objectives of investments in the construction and refurbishment of residential and non-residential buildings. It takes the United Kingdom (UK) as a case study, where such investments reached GBP 162 billion (EUR 184 billion) in 2019 …
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a key nature-based solution (NBS) for the forest sector. Drawing on lessons from UNDP’s support to REDD+ countries over the past decade, this paper describes crucial areas for policy makers to consider when seeking to enhance their NDCs and support NDC …
Globally, women and men tend to have different climate change vulnerabilities and benefit differently from climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. This is due to a range of factors including access to resources and knowledge, time restraints, and inclusion in decision-making processes. Since its launch in 2011, gender has served …
Computer-based models are valuable tools for investigating scenarios for aligning near-term actions and policies with long-term goals. Nonexperts who contribute to climate mitigation decision-making need to be able to evaluate these models and recognize that there is no “best” model that answers all policy questions. This issue brief provides guidance …
This edition of UNCTAD's Trade and Environment Review examines the physical impacts of climate change and their effects on developing country economies and trade; the vulnerabilities of developing countries to climate change; costs and finance for climate change adaptation; and finally, ways that developing countries can enhance their trade-climate readiness, …
Many companies are beginning to incorporate nature-based solutions (NBS) in their climate mitigation strategies to offset fossil fuel emissions. At the same time, financing of NBS is an essential and urgently needed component of society’s transition to net-zero emissions. This paper describes the opportunities and risks associated with using NBS …
This report analyses the impacts that changes in trade structures, economic growth and technology have had on the greenhouse gas emissions (GhG) generated in the continent. It sets out climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the context of Africa’s economic transformation and development. In this sense, it aims to …
The UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status Review provides an overview of the current state of climate change litigation globally, as well as an assessment of global climate change litigation trends. It finds that a rapid increase in climate litigation has occurred around the world. In 2017 there were …
