Climate change blogs
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Real climate ambition means switching to 'business unusual'
4 October 2019Leadership at the UN Climate Action Summit came from least developed countries and grassroots communities. Clare Shakya argues that supporting their efforts requires a shift away from business-as-usual
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Transparent climate reporting in Malawi: what’s needed, what’s next?
3 October 2019The Paris Agreement’s transparency guidelines allow least developed countries extra time and support to meet new climate reporting criteria, but meet it they must. Yamikani Idriss describes Malawi’s progress to date and support still needed
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Madagascar needs agroforestry businesses in its response to climate change
27 September 2019Madagascar’s forests are under increasing pressure from agricultural expansion, in an increasingly erratic climate. Agroforestry could be a key part of a response
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Time to team up with nature to adapt to climate change
26 September 2019As global leaders embrace natural climate solutions at the UN Climate Summit in New York, IIED’s research shows how to tap the potential of nature-based solutions in tackling the impacts of climate change
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Supporting adaptation through local-level climate finance: lessons from Kenya
24 September 2019Kenya’s transformational County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) mechanism demonstrates how to get climate funds to the local level and involve the people who are most vulnerable to the hazards of a changing climate in deciding how to spend them
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Bearing the climate burden – Bangladesh families are paying too much
20 September 2019A new report by IIED reveals how much rural households in Bangladesh are spending on repairing the damage caused by climate change. Governments and international funders need to do more to support local priorities
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Want to save the planet? Put the poorest in the driver's seat
11 September 2019Fundamental reform of how climate finance is distributed is needed in order to help meet the Paris Agreement’s targets and make sure money reaches the people who need it most
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Bright spots of success: local adaptation brings answers to the global climate crisis
2 September 2019From a smallholder farming community in south-central Ethiopia come inspiring stories of adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change
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Climate justice and the IPCC special report on land
13 August 2019The IPCC’s new report detailing how climate change is impacting land is a significant warning for climate justice, writes IIED director Andrew Norton
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Taking stock: how the LDCs became masters in climate activism and optimism
29 July 2019As Achala Abeysinghe moves on to a new role at the Global Green Growth Institute, she reflects on her time at IIED and shares how – as legal, technical and strategic adviser to the Least Developed Countries – she has seen this dynamic group turn climate diplomacy on its head
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London Climate Week: is the world ready with its emergency response?
3 July 2019A London Climate Action Week debate saw progressive voices share how they’re showing leadership in tackling the climate emergency – and call on the rest of the world to match their ambition
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Climate action: let’s be bold in Bonn
14 June 2019As the UN climate change conference kicks off in Bonn on Monday (17 June), Subhi Barakat calls for negotiators to be bolder and braver with an emphasis on action
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To stay ahead of climate change, cities need to act now
4 June 2019How can cities in low- and middle-income countries address climate change risks? IIED's David Satterthwaite looks at the challenges facing city governments across the world
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Leading on nature: can the new Secretary of State deliver bold action on environment and poverty?
31 May 2019The UK's new Secretary of State for International Development has impressed with a strong public statement on the need to focus aid funding on climate and environmental challenges. IIED welcomes his commitment, and suggests an agenda for action
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Climate adaptation: its time is now
29 May 2019As adaptation shares more of the limelight, champions of community-based adaption have messages on three key areas that international policymakers must hear
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Why the UK parliamentary committee recommendations on international climate finance are so important
23 May 2019The International Development Committee recently published its findings on UK aid for combating climate change. Clare Shakya, IIED’s director of climate change, gave evidence at the parliamentary inquiry and writes what the UK needs to do to make sure money reaches where it matters most
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Adapting to climate change in Europe: building a systemic and urgent vision
15 May 2019The fourth European Climate Change Adaptation conference takes place in Lisbon later this month. Susannah Fisher and Andrew Norton argue that researchers can play an important role in raising Europe’s ambitions on adaptation by highlighting whole systems approaches and transformative public narratives
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‘Participatory’ adaptation plans aren’t working for migrants in cities
9 May 2019A paper in the latest issue of the journal Environment and Urbanization highlights how urban plans for adapting to climate change often leave out migrant populations living in informal settlements. Guest bloggers Eric Chu and Kavya Michael call for a rethink.
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The Paris Agreement always needed Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg
24 April 2019Extinction Rebellion’s climate protests signal a moment of hope, writes IIED director Andrew Norton. Big shifts rarely happen without a major challenge from people demanding action
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Unsmart, unsafe cities for informal workers: effective policy change will need better data
5 April 2019How can urban health policy be effective when the data on residents’ and workers’ leading causes of premature death, illness and injury is inadequate? A new project with partners in India seeks to fill the data gaps and support informal workers’ well-being
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Women in the UN climate negotiations: are we tipping the balance?
7 March 2019Ahead of International Women’s Day, Brianna Craft and Samantha McCraine take a closer look at how well women are represented in spaces where international decisions on climate change are made
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Building a vision of climate resilience: questions to the adaptation community
6 March 2019Guest blogger Gebru Jember Endalew sets out key questions for the adaptation community to be tackled at this year’s community-based adaptation event (CBA13) taking place in Addis Ababa
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CBA13: galvanising locally-based adaptation in a crunch year for climate action
22 January 2019The pressure is on: this year’s flagship event in Ethiopia is a crucial opportunity for getting local adaptation solutions firmly on the global climate policy radar
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2019 – the way forward is a Green Decent Work Guarantee
30 December 2018How can the world achieve a step change in the fight against climate change during 2019? IIED director Andrew Norton looks at the issues and suggests that a radical approach may hold the solution
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Reflections on Katowice – where does the Paris Agreement stand now?
20 December 2018IIED's director Andrew Norton reflects on the outcomes of the UN climate talks in Katowice