This paper is based on research with older men and women from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It looks at older people's experience and awareness of climate change, and calls for better inclusion of their views in developing adaptive strategies. Older people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Impact Evaluation and Interventions to Address Climate Change: A Scoping Study
The selection and design of climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions should be based on evidence of what works (and what does not), under what circumstances and at what cost. Currently, evidence on the impact of such interventions appears limited, and there is a strong case for the wider application of rigorous impact evaluation. New studies should evaluate ...» more
Charting a New Low-Carbon Route To Development
How can sub-national governments incorporate climate change into their planning? This Primer argues for systematic action across all levels of long-term development planning and cross-sectoral implementation (regional, national, sub-national and local). It introduces approaches to help sub-national authorities design an Integrated Territorial Climate Plan (ITCP), from setting ...» more
A Framework for Evaluating Adaptation to Climate Change
How can climate change adaptation be tracked in a structured way? Standard development and environment indicators are unable to reflect the nature of adaptation, which is about capacity, behaviour and risk-reducing measures for the advancement of development outcomes. This chapter presents seven considerations for establishing adaptation monitoring and evaluation (M&E) ...» more
Fragile Environment, Fragile State: What Role for Conflict-Sensitivity and Peace-Building?
What are the links between environmental injustice and violent conflict? How could climate change affect conflict-prone fragile states? This paper notes that unfair levels of access to natural resources (such as land and water) can contribute to poverty, marginalisation, and violent conflict. Linking adaptation and conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding agendas in conflict-prone ...» more
‘State-building for Peace’: Navigating an Arena of Contradictions
How are statebuilding and peacebuilding processes linked, and what are some of the most significant complementarities and tensions between them? How can donors navigate the challenges of 'statebuilding for peace' in fragile states? This Briefing Paper outlines an arena full of contradictions, arguing that these need to be recognised if they are to be managed. Effective donor ...» more
State-building and Social Cohesion
How can the international community help national reformers to build effective, legitimate and resilient states in post-conflict settings? This chapter discusses the complex intangible dimensions of state-building – state-society relations and negotiation processes. It argues that building the capacity of formal institutions needs to be complemented by actions that take into ...» more
Renegotiating the Political Settlement in War-to-Peace Transitions
What are the impacts of political settlements on creating peace? What is the best way to support peace processes to produce inclusive and robust political settlements? This paper explores issues around the renegotiation of the political settlement within war-to-peace transitions. During such transitions there are opportunities to shift the terms of the political settlement. To ...» more
In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement
To what extent is climate change causing – and is likely to cause – the displacement and migration of people around the world? How should policymakers respond? This report draws on empirical evidence from a first-time, multi-continent survey of environmental change and migration. It argues that climate-related migration and displacement can be successfully addressed ...» more
Struggles for Citizenship in Africa: Introduction
Post-independence political crises in Africa have shown a similar pattern; leaders seek to buttress their support among one part of their country's population by excluding another from the right to belong to the country. This publication argues that the denial of a right to citizenship has been at the heart of many of the conflicts of post-colonial Africa, and examines the ways ...» more
Community-Based Adaptation in Practice
How can local communities best be supported to adapt to climate change? How can an enabling policy context be established in order to scale-up adaptation? This chapter assesses community-based approaches to climate change adaptation in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It finds that vulnerability to climate change is linked to the ability to access and control resources and to ...» more
Climate Policy Processes, Local Institutions, and Adaptation Actions: Mechanisms of Translation and Influence
How can national climate policy processes be translated into local adaptation initiatives? What can be learned from the ways in which natural resource managers have sought to make national resource policies locally responsive and effective? This paper examines national-level adaptation planning efforts and decentralisation reforms. It highlights the need to promote the capacity ...» more
Assessing the Costs of Adaptation to Climate Change: A review of the UNFCCC and Other Recent Estimates – Overview of Conclusions
How realistic are current estimates of adaptation costs for climate change? Will low investment levels in some regions require full funding of climate change development? This report analyses the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and argues that its climate change adaptation costs are substantially under-estimated. It recommends more detailed ...» more
Haiti’s Failed Truth Commission: Lessons in Transitional Justice
Why did the Haitian truth commission fail? This article evaluates the Haitian Commission nationale de vérité et de justice (CNVJ). It concludes that the Commission faced many complications (including a lack of political will and funding) and numerous institutional constraints (including lack of capacity, increasing security concerns, and shortages of time and funding). The ...» more
Policy Guidance on Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Co-operation
How can climate change adaptation be mainstreamed in development cooperation agencies and in partner countries' development plans? What are the priorities for governments and donors? This report recommends moving the co-ordination of adaptation implementation into powerful central bodies, and integrating consideration of long-term climate risks in national planning processes as ...» more
Closing the Gaps: Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries
Climate change has highlighted the urgent need for the reform of governance approaches and institutions. Disaster risk reduction of climate change impacts requires unparalleled international cooperation and new forms of local, national, regional and international governance. This chapter suggests how institutional architecture should be organised to fill 'governance gaps' in ...» more
Index Insurance and Climate Risk: Prospects for Development and Disaster Management
Variable and unpredictable climate can limit development and amplify poverty, particularly in the developing world. The potential of index insurance to help manage climate variability is being tested in a growing number of developing country settings. This report discusses this new type of insurance, presents case studies and outlines key lessons and recommendations. It finds ...» more
The National Adaptive Capacity Framework: Key Institutional Functions for a Changing Climate
How can countries adapt to climate change? The National Adaptive Capacity (NAC) framework identifies national-level functions that all countries will need to perform to adapt effectively to climate change: assessment, prioritisation, coordination, information management and climate risk reduction. The framework can be used to assess how well functions are being performed and to ...» more
Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Assessing the Evidence
How is environmental change affecting migration and how can policymakers address this emerging challenge? The book assesses the existing body of evidence relating to the likely impact of environmental and climate change on migration. It recommends that the focus of research and funding shift toward developing countries where migration, both internal and international, is most ...» more
Human Impact Report: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis
This report documents the devastation and human suffering caused by climate change. It estimates that every year climate change leaves 300,000 people dead, seriously affects 325 million people and causes $125 billion in economic losses. Four billion people are vulnerable, and 500 million people are at extreme risk. Its impact is likely to double over the next twenty years, ...» more
