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Resource Library

We have compiled this list of resources to assist our community with learning more about this growing challenge and opportunity areas.

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Catalyzing Change, Building Momentum for Climate Action

This report share our learnings, to ensure our efforts in climate action and financial inclusion resonate across communities worldwide. As we embrace this phase of cross-pollination, we appreciate our journey’s unique paths, learning from each achievement and challenge.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

April 2024

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Nurturing Growth: Perspectives and Practices in Innovation Ecosystem Building

This Playbook documents CIFAR Alliance's journey into building innovation ecosystems, particularly focused on climate resilience, adaptation, and finance.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

April 2024

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Elevating the voices of affected people in climate adaptation

This whitepaper provides a broad look at how financial and non-financial products and services can support the resilience of vulnerable populations. In doing so, it seeks to highlight the challenges that stakeholders must address to support their climate resilience. The paper also examines where and how financial services can play a role in that journey.

Author:

MicroSave Consulting, CGAP & CIFAR Alliance

February 2023

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Enabling and financing locally-led adaptation

This white paper explores the most effective adaptation measures that define successful initiatives and how they can be implemented in the face of ecological and physical constraints, limitations in knowledge and resources, and social dynamics.

Author:

MicroSave Consulting & CIFAR Alliance

January 2024

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Impact Investment in Climate-Resilient Drought Insurance

This Case Study from the CARMet Co-Lab describes how OKO, a crop insurance provider in Mali, tracks the number of policies sold, the overall value of the crop insurance policies it sells, and the number of payouts made, as well as the resulting changes in the amount farmers invest in their farms and the increased access to credit obtained by farmers, to measure the impact of its services.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

December 2023

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A benchmark analysis of frameworks for measuring climate resilience and adaptation

This paper by BFA Global and UNIDO, identifies 10 principles for measuring resilience and adaptation based on a review of thirty different measurement frameworks.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

December 2023

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Yale Experts Explain Intersectionality and Climate Change

This blog introduces a social framework for advancing inclusive and equitable climate solutions.

Author:

Yale

2022

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Women of Africa Leading Climate Responsiveness

This call to action surfaced the women leaders and leadership needed to catalyze and scale private sector action on climate change in Africa.

Author:

The Rallying Cry

2021

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The triple differential vulnerability of female entrepreneurs to climate risk in sub-Saharan Africa: Gendered barriers and enablers to private sector adaptation

The academic paper synthesizes existing knowledge on the vulnerability of female

Author:

Gannon, K.E. et al.

2022

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The Influence of Gender Relations on Women's Involvement and Experience in Climate Change Adaptation Programs in Bangladesh

This study looks at women’s increased socio-economic vulnerabilities within climate shocks and focuses on their contributions and their significant influence on climate change adaptation practices.

Author:

Tanjeela, M. and Rutherford, S.

2018

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Rural Women and Climate Change: The Products and Services that Are Expanding Earning Potential and Mitigating Risk

This blog considers how integrating a climate and gender lens into financial services for rural women could help reduce the gender inequality gap and prevent them from being excluded from climate resilience initiatives.

Author:

Dalberg Advisors

2022

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Resilient Rural Women: Applying Personas and Insights for Climate-Smart Innovation

This deck explores the personas of rural women and their distinct customer journeys through product and service engagement in the context of climate change.

Author:

CGAP

2023

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Mainstreaming Gender in Mitigation and Technology

This capacity-building package has been designed for policymakers to guide them on how to promote gender equality across all levels of policy and programming in climate change and to provide them with the necessary tools to do so.

Author:

UNDP

2016

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Is Adaptation to Climate Change Gender Neutral? Lessons from Communities Dependent on Livestock and Forests in Northern Mali

This academic paper discusses six gender participatory workshops that assessed vulnerability and adaptive strategies to climate variability and change for livestock and forest-based livelihoods in Mali

Author:

Djoudi, H. and Brockhaus, M.

2011

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Gender-smart climate finance is critical for progress, results, and impact

This blog discusses emerging gender-smart climate finance innovations that hold promise for securing a more inclusive climate-friendly future.

Author:

IFC

July 2023

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Gender and Climate Finance Toolkit

This guide is for investors, fund managers, and other stakeholders to identify and prioritize gender-smart climate finance investment risks and opportunities.

Author:

2x Global

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Gender and Climate Finance Policy Brief

This policy brief explores how mainstreaming gender within climate finance can maximize funding efforts and tackle deeply rooted structural inequities.

Author:

UNDP

2016

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Climate Change Gender Action Plans: A Method for Moving from Commitment to Action

This blog explores how countries are using Climate Change Gender Action Plans (ccGAPs) to identify gender-specific opportunities in nationally-determined climate-related priority sectors through a participatory, multi-stakeholder process.

Author:

IUCN

2022

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Catalysing Investment to Scale Gender and Climate Solutions in Africa

The report highlights the financial gap between international capital providers and gender and climate-smart agribusinesses in Africa.

Author:

The Rallying Cry

2021

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Bolstering Women’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation through Financial Services

This working paper illustrates how women are differently impacted by climate change and how financial services can play a better role in strengthening their autonomous adaptive capacities to climate change.

Author:

CGAP

June 2023

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Accelerate transformation: Invest in African Women Leading Climate Action

This thought leadership report seeks to accelerate and scale the climate and gender solutions being led by African women, highlighting the need for urgent action from investors and across the ecosystem

Author:

The Rallying Cry

2022

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A review of evidence on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and food systems

This paper assesses the current evidence on pathways between gender equality, women’s empowerment, and food systems.

Author:

Njuki, J. et al.

2022

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A Framework for Gender-Responsive Livestock Development

This framework supports the formulation of action plans and guidance documents contributing to gender equality and women’s empowerment through livestock development.

Author:

FAO

2023

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Climate Change + Gender:
Intersectionality and Innovation

We provide definitions of Gender and Climate Finance, Gender Intersectionality, Gender and Climate Smart Innovation, Gender and a Global Loss and Damage Fund, along with essential resources that provide information and guidance on integrating gender considerations into climate change policies and programs.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

October 2023

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Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRAg) white paper

This white paper examines the prospects for adaptation leveraging digital technology focusing on how solutions can be financed

Author:

CIFAR Alliance: MicroSave Consulting, GSMA, FSD Africa

June 2023

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Blockchain for Climate Innovation

A landscape assessment and specific use case analysis of blockchain for climate innovation in emerging markets

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

April 2023

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Fintech for Climate Resilience: A compendium of startup innovations building resilience in emerging markets

This report by the CIFAR Alliance Investors Working Group highlights 11 successful ventures that are building solutions to improve the resilience of communities susceptible to climate change. The Alliance members, including Catalyst Fund, Mercy Corps Ventures, British International Investments (BII), FSD Africa, Gawa Capital, MSC, Omnivore, and IUCN, illustrate how fintech can deliver scalable climate resilience solutions.  

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

February 2023

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Inclusive and Nature-based Carbon Markets: A Path to Resilient Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), where individuals, institutions, and corporations buy and sell carbon credits to offset their carbon emissions, is a promising way for vulnerable communities to access critical resources.

This new Opportunity Brief from the CIFAR Alliance explores how the VCM could be harnessed as a way to provide economic incentives for climate mitigation and adaptation in Africa, and to direct a greater share of the benefits to small land stewards, small project developers and, ultimately, smallholder farmers who have been excluded from it until now.

Author:

CIFAR Alliance

October 2022

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CDC Emerging Economies Climate Report

A survey of senior management at businesses and investment funds, providing a clearer understanding of how private sector leaders in Africa and South Asia see climate change.

Author:

CDC

October 2021

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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need

In this book Bill Gates presents what he learned in over a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address global warming and recommends strategies to tackle it.

Author:

Bill Gates

Feb 2021

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The Role of Digital Solutions in Addressing Climate Change

A report from the GSMA on the uses of mobile technologies to foster resilience

Author:

The GSMA

Feb 2021

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Eradicating ‘extreme poverty would raise global emissions by less than 1% - Carbon Brief

The study, published in Nature Sustainability, highlights the global inequality in emissions between people in rich and poor countries.

Author:

Carbon Brief

Feb 2022

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USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030

This strategy guides USAID's humanitarian and development work through 2030 in a truly different way: by calling on all corners of USAID to play a part in the whole-of-Agency response.

Author:

USAID

Apr 2022

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Adapt Now: A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience

This report focuses on making the case for climate adaptation, providing specific insights and recommendations in key sectors: food security, the natural environment, water, cities and urban areas, infrastructure, disaster risk management, and finance. It is designed to inspire action among decision-makers, including heads of state and government officials, mayors, business executives, investors, and community leaders.

Author:

Global Commission on Adaptation

Sep 2019

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Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) is an ever-growing shared knowledge base aimed to enhance climate adaptation action by:
> Providing accurate, timely, and useful information for existing and future CAKE users.
> Increasing awareness of adaptation projects, options, practitioners, and resources.
> Engaging the broader community to develop the field of adaptation.

Author:

Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

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How Can a Climate-Resilient Future Address Inequality?

This panel session explores how inequality can be addressed through climate resilience.

Author:

The New York Times

May 2022

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Building Climate Resilience, What Can FSPs Do?

This webinar looks at how FSPs are approaching the issue of climate change with their clients. We hear from two MFIs on what they are currently doing to build climate resilience in clients, both through new financial products, such as livestock insurance, and adapting existing financial services to meet specific community needs.

Author:

FinDevGateway

Jun 2022

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Stories from End Users and Climate Resilience

BFA Global's blog spotlights the voices and perspectives of vulnerable populations by connecting their expressed experiences and worries with climate change vocabulary and narratives.

Author:

BFA Global

Oct 2021

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A Blueprint for Digital Climate-Informed Advisory Services

This paper discusses the role of digital climate-informed advisory services in building the resilience of small-holder producers by 2030. It puts forth key principles for good practice, an estimation of the needed investment for scaling services and preliminary ideas for targeting these investments for reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized.

Author:

World Resources Institute (WRI)

Jul 2021

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How Financial Services can Help the Poor in the Climate Transition

CGAP’s post and report describe their take on climate change. Lots of literature links for more in-depth reviews

Author:

Nicole Pasricha and Silvia Baur-Yazbeck, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

Dec 2020

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Fintech can Help Fill Climate Resilience Gaps

The blog highlights how fintech innovation can increase the agricultural sector's resiliency.

Author:

Ariel Cohen, Forbes

Sep 2022

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A billion of the world's most climate-vulnerable people live in informal settlements – here's what they face

The Conversation's post describes the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations in informal settlements and how institutions can help deliver adaptation to dwellers.

Author:

Peter H. Maltbie, The Conversation

Mar 2022

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Catalyst Fund’s Roundtable for Investors

Several concrete examples of startups working on fintech for resilience

Author:

Catalyst Fund

Jun 2022

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Can you reach net zero by 2050?

See if you can save the planet from the worst effects of climate change

Author:

The Financial Times

2022

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State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2021

This report presents the most comprehensive overview of the present and future prospects for the African continent in the light of climate change

Author:

Global Center on Adaptation

2021

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Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program

The AAAP focuses on four action areas (pillars) that collectively address Africa’s adaptation priorities, and are shaped to fit identified niches that provide key opportunities to drive adaptation through transformative and innovative action.

Author:

Global Center on Adaptation

2021

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Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2022

The report identifies key thematic areas (one of them climate change), underpinning the vital role of good governance in achieving Africa’s economic and political transformation.

Author:

Brookings Institution

2022

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Regenerative Agriculture: An opportunity for businesses and society to restore degraded land in Africa

This report identifies existing and potential benefits across the agricultural supply chain and broader society. The report draws on practical examples, academic reviews, and quantitative modeling to build a comprehensive picture of the business case for regenerative agriculture.

Author:

Africa Regenerative Agriculture Study Group

2021

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Investor Climate Action Plans

This guide is designed to help investors include their climate action plans, or net zero transition plans, in CDP reporting, following the investor agenda’s ICAPs Expectations Ladder and Guidance.

Author:

CDP

2022

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Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance

Author:

Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance

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How Can Finance Help Address Our Dual Climate and Nature Crises?

This discussion paper explores the importance of nature in addressing climate change and the role of finance in supporting a nature-positive and net-zero economy. This is a critical issue to ensure finance can make a meaningful and proportional contribution to supporting the Paris Agreement

Author:

Finance Sector Expert Group for Race to Zero and Race to Resilience (FSEG)

Nov 2021

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As PAYGo Moves Beyond Solar, Addressing Risks Can Ensure Impact

This blog post identifies real customer risks in the PAYGo sector that need to be addressed

Author:

Max Mattern and Alexander Sotiriou, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

Dec 2020

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In an Era of Urgent Climate Risk, Does Financial Inclusion Matter?

First Leadership Essay from the new CEO at CGAP

Author:

Sophie Sirtaine and Claudia McKay, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

Jun 2022

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CPI’s Global Landscape of Climate Finance

Includes encouraging growth in adaptation finance, even if it is still too low compared to mitigation finance

Author:

Climate Policy Initiative

Dec 2021

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Wealthy countries still haven’t met their $100 billion pledge to help poor countries face climate change, and the risks are rising

Wealthy countries are under pressure to make good on their commitment to mobilize US$100 billion a year to help poorer countries deal with climate change

Author:

Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, The Conversation

Feb 2022

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‘Climate entrepreneurs deserve fast capital’: Enduring Planet unwraps a new fintech platform

Enduring planet aims to deliver fast debt capital to startups and small businesses that focus on climate, such as by mitigating emissions or helping humanity adapt to the disastrous effects of burning fossil fuels.

Author:

Harri Weber, TechCrunch

May 2022

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Learning from Our Past

Analysis of past “impact finance” waves and the trajectories they followed so we can learn from them as we seek to accelerate the climate finance ecosystem

Author:

BFA Global

Oct 2021

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Cross-Cutting Themes for the Emergence of the DF4CR Ecosystem

A list of 7 themes and patterns we’ve observed as we were getting ready to launch DF4CR

Author:

BFA Global

Oct 2021

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Investment Brief: The Opportunity in DF4CR

A set of investment theses in the nexus of climate and fintech

Author:

BFA Global

Sep 2021

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Building an Ecosystem: Insights from Industry Leaders

A summary of the interviews with 30+ leaders

Author:

BFA Global

Aug 2021

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Catalyzing an Ecosystem

Barriers and opportunities for the main stakeholders

Author:

BFA Global

Jun 2021

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What is ReFi - Part I

Long but very complete post about mechanisms to leverage blockchain to finance and build a regenerative economy

Author:

John Ellison

Feb 2022

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Intro to DAOs & Collective Decision Making

This presentation talks about Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), and how they can be used in projects.

Author:

Jeff Emmett and Jessica Zartler, Commons Stack

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Learning to Navigate Resilience

GRP on advances in measuring resilience

Author:

Global Resilience Partnership

Aug 2021

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Resilience Measurement Practical Guidance Series

This report lays out the background and purpose of the Guidance Note (GN) series, introduces core concepts, and previews the content of the Resilience Measurement Practical Guidance series.

Author:

MercyCorps and USAID

2017

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Beyond Carbon Credits: A Blueprint For High-Quality Interventions That Work For People, Nature and Climate

This document sets out WWF’s views on implementing high-impact and high-quality nature-based solutions for climate mitigation from the perspective of the people and the places where they work, as a companion to WWF’s Blueprint for Corporate Action on Climate and Nature, which focuses on business- or demand-side integrity. It also discusses how funders and companies can contribute to nature-based solutions as an integral part of their broader climate strategies.

Author:

WWF International

Nov 2021

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Blueprint for Scaling Carbon Finance

The trading of carbon credits can help companies—and the world—meet ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Here is what it would take to strengthen voluntary carbon markets so they can support climate action on a large scale.

Author:

McKinsey

Jan 2021

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The Voluntary Carbon Market Explained

Each chapter of the publication explains one aspect of the VCM. The chapters can be read as standalone factsheets or be read together as part of a larger summary of the VCM.

Author:

Climate Focus

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Africa's great carbon valley -- and how to end energy poverty

Ted Talk with James Irungu Mwangi

Author:

James Irungu Mwangi, TED

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Carbon Market Map: Meet the 75 companies helping to harness the benefits of regen ag

Voluntary carbon markets grasping the nettle of agriculture and establishing standards for soil programs.

Author:

AFN

May 2022

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Environmentalists join forces to fight ‘carbon bomb’ fossil fuel projects

Coalition of lawyers, journalists and campaigners challenge climate-busting mega projects exposed in Guardian investigation

Author:

Matthew Taylor, The Guardian

Jun 2022

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Why Are Nature-Based Solutions on Climate Being Overlooked?

Nature-based adaptation can simultaneously help meet the three great challenges of our time: responding to climate change, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring human well-being. But right now, the opportunities for delivering these synergies are still going begging.

Author:

Yale Environment

Apr 2022

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The Potential for Nature-Based Solutions Initiatives to Incorporate and Scale Climate Adaptation

This publication identifies key opportunities for Nature-Based Solutions initiatives to contribute to adaptation outcomes:

Author:

World Resources Institute (WRI)

Apr 2022

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The Voluntary Carbon Market: 8 things to know for 2022

From the South Pole, one of the leading carbon finance brokers in the world

Author:

South Pole

Feb 2022

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Why Carbon Credits For Forest Preservation May Be Worse Than Nothing

Author:

ProPublica

May 2019

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The One Percent's Huge Carbon Footprint

Author:

Statista

Feb 2022

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Giving (Carbon) Credit where it’s Due

Author:

CTVC

Feb 2022

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High Quality Blue Carbon Principles and Guidance

This guidance identifies principles and guidelines specifically tailored to address the unique aspects of blue carbon. It also is intended to lay the groundwork for understanding key markers that can be used to evaluate the quality of projects.

Author:

Meridian Institute

June 2022

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Extreme heat around the world in videos, photos, and graphics

The article showcases how wildfires and glacier collapses are disrupting lives around the world

Author:

The Guardian

Jul 2022

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Heat is killing us and the economy too

Author:

The Atlantic Council

Sep 2021

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Today’s heatwaves are a warning of worse to come

Author:

The Economist

Jul 2022

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Africa’s first Heat Officer faces a Daunting Task

Bloomberg on the challenges tackled by the CHO in Sierra Leone’s Freetown

Author:

Bloomberg

Jan 2022

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Deploying distributed renewable energy to reduce the impacts of extreme heat on the urban poor

This brief explores the potential for distributed renewable energy (DRE) to
play an increased role in mitigating heat risk in large urban and peri-urban
settlements via its integration into passive and active cooling solutions.

Author:

The Atlantic Council

Oct 2021

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Project Drawdown adds 11 new Solutions

These solutions assess strategies for reducing greenhouse gases related to ocean resources, food production, methane management, and materials manufacturing and use.

Author:

Drawdown

June 2022

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Oceans are better at storing carbon than trees. In a warmer future, ocean carbon sinks could help stabilize our planet

Investigates how the continent formed and analyzes ancient environmental changes recorded in its sediments

Author:

Physorg

Feb 2022

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Kigali summit to outline a strategy for nature conservation in Africa

The gathering will outline long-term strategies to halt and reverse the rapid loss of species and habitats in Africa’s more than 8,500 protected areas, covering 14% of land and 17% of its marine area.

Author:

The Guardian

July 2022

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Kenya launches 2050 Calculator to advance climate change mitigation

KCERT 2050 is designed to help policymakers, energy producers and consumers (including the public) in Kenya to understand the energy and emissions-related choices they are making, providing a platform for engaging in dialogues on the challenges and opportunities of the future energy system and the responses to climate change.

Author:

Imperial College London

July 2022

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The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs)

New core diagnostic reports that integrate climate change and development considerations, July 2022.

Author:

The World Bank

July 2022

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