Biblioteca

This technical document reviews the current status of agricultural production in Africa, the role of agriculture in the economies of African countries and in poverty reduction initiatives, the production trends and the public investments in the sector in recent years. It also assesses the vulnerability of the sector to the short term climate variability and long term effects of climate change. The nexus between agricultural policy and research and development in climate variability and climate change is also explored to identify existing knowledge gaps that prevent agricultural policy development from integrating climate variability and climate change information. The study concludes by making some recommendations vis-à-vis the role of African agriculture in international climate change negotiations.

This technical document provides an overview of the regional hydrogeological framework of Africa, the current state of knowledge of aquifer systems, their development potential and climate change impacts on groundwater, research gaps, and policy implications for meeting the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) of accessing clean water and livelihood goals in Africa.

This technical document presents the nexus of water resources and climate change in Africa. It uses the existing knowledge from relevant literature as well as the authors’ extensive work on water management in Africa. The document looks at major global drivers of change and focuses on water as a decisive natural capital that if managed and used effectively can contribute to economic growth, sustainable development and increased food and energy production in Africa.

This technical document focuses on the link between water and climate change in Africa, underlying the gaps and needs for the continent related to this issue. It first reviews the issue of climate change itself and its expected outcome for the continent, focusing on the expected impact on its water resources. It then provides an analysis of the knowledge gaps and needs of the continent for various themes, including policy, communication, technology and climate change modelling.

This technical document  focused on Africa looks at the coverage and distribution of climate data networks, mechanisms of rescuing the existing data and sharing/access, and look at innovative ways of enhancing the climate change understanding such as technologies, infrastructure and capacity building aspects.

This analytical report seeks to draw attention to the gender dimension of climate change and the need to integrate gender issues in climate change responses, with particular emphasis on women’s concerns. The report is divided into four sections. The first highlights the inevitability of climate change, its impact on the poor and vulnerable, its implications for sustainable development and the need for effective adaptation and mitigation measures. It also underscores how climate change would disproportionately affect women and what needs to be done to ensure that women’s concerns are adequately addressed. The second looks at how climate change would impact key climate sensitive sectors, the gender dimension of the impacts, and proffers recommendations on what should be done to reduce the vulnerability of women to these impacts, and enhance their adaptive capacities. The third provides an overview of financing and capacity building initiatives that could be accessed to fund adaptation and mitigation programmes and projects. The final section makes concluding remarks on the basis of the findings of the preceding sections.

This analytical report on international migration and development in Africa focuses on the migration and climate nexus as an important theme for development policy in Africa. It represents the United Nation’s Economic Commision for Africa’s (ECA) contribution to the policy dialogue on development in Africa. It aims to alert policy makers, planners, and researchers in Africa to this relatively neglected topic and to its importance for protecting both human welfare and the environment.

This activity report on the Water Partnership Programme (WPP) presents the results per region of the programme, namely: Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Central Asia; Latin America and Caribbean; Middle East and North Africa and South Asia. Among key contributions of the WPP in Africa, it cites improvements of data and analysis needed to promote the use of multi-purpose infrastructure to control floods, and provide food and energy to more people. In East Asia and the Pacific, countries were assisted in the integration of adaptation into projects to mitigate disaster risks from floods and droughts. In Europe and Central Asia, the WPP helped with the definition of sub-regional strategies for irrigation investments improving the region’s capacity to become a key global supplier of grain, fiber, vegetables and fruits.

This technical document aims to assess potential opportunities and options to promote a green economy, with a focus on key economic sectors set out by South Africa’s National Development Plan – Vision 2030. It presents a modelling exercise that compares a scenario of investments directed to “business-as-usual” (BAU) with scenarios of investments allocated to four critical sectors for a transition to a green economy in South Africa, namely: natural resource management, agriculture, transport and energy. The findings from this assessment using the parameters of economic growth, poverty, employment, resource efficiency and climate change, show that the strengthening of natural resource management and environmental protection is fundamental for sustained economic growth and well-being.

The purpose of this module is to provide in-depth information on how Climate Change and Environmental Education (CCEE) can be integrated into the design, implementation and practice of child-friendly schools. Many schools are incorporating CCEE in their curricula. While it is impossible to present a complete account of these efforts, this module includes the most relevant examples and illustrates the diversity of approaches.

This activity report presents the results of the Cities and Climate Change Initiative for the first half of the program. It presents the goal and rationale behing the program as well as its strenghts and weaknesses as seen throughout the years. It then proposes ways to make the program better.

This analytical report aims at providing a variety of actions that can be implemented by a country to make their transportation systems more sustainable. Actions for various sectors are providing with accompanying indicators.

This discussion paper is prepared to provide guidance in discussions for adaptation to climate change through integrated water resources management and green growth to achieve green economy and sustainable development. As such, the target audience of these guidelines includes not only political leaders, decision makers, and thought leaders but also the general public. The intention is to highlight that both green growth and building climate resilience are not only necessities, but are a natural process for sustainable development.

The document can be accessed at the following adress: http://www.unescap.org/esd/publications/water/2012/cma/Climate-Change-Adaptation.pdf

This manual outlines the vulnerability of small island developping states (SIDS) in the Pacific and the Caribbean to natural hazards and climate risks, and explains how gender roles and responsibilities result in differential exposure and impact of disasters. Putting on a “gender lens” means analyzing what men and women do in their daily lives, looking at how they interact and what specific needs arise out of this. It is intended to provide national disaster management personnel working in the SIDS with a tool to strengthen their practice; it is not intended to be exhaustive and should be considered as an aid to complement pre-existing knowledge. The document aims to help practitioners identify and integrate gender into their decision-making and actions on the ground in every phase of disaster risk management.

The analytical report aims to provide a number of key findings to be considered by world leaders as they are setting out to chart new pathways to sustainable development.It explores the drivers of change and transmission channels for the shift to a green economy, and considers their implications for economic activity, employment growth and social outcomes, notably as regards to the key economic sectors. It also identifies successful policies and good practices, to ensure that the green economy is characterized by gains in job quality, reductions in poverty and improvements in social inclusion.

This analytical report presents the results of an analysis of case studies from Sudan, India, Rwanda, Mali and Swaziland to find out whether participatory mapping – used in combination with other participatory methods – has had measurable effects for the development of local adaptive capacity. It presents general principles and orientation for practitioners and policymakers involved in adaptation programmes.

The technical document encompasses background information on the relevant processing and «value chains» in the petrochemical industry within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the current greenhouse gas (GHG) emission control technologies available, and recommendations and relevant steps for the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), including the criteria to help evaluate the potential GHG emissions from the petrochemical sector and the criteria to help determine the minimal acceptable potential GHG emissions from petrochemical projects.

This activity report presents the results of the The Hybrid and Electric Bus Test Program. Findings reveal that that hybrid and electric technologies can perform as well or better than comparable diesel-powered buses and within a reasonable payback period. In Latin America, where the transport sector is already the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, several cities have been working to improve their transport systems to achieve improved air quality, better road safety, and greater social inclusion.

This analytical report is intended to assist planners understanding how to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction benefits of sustainable transport projects, policies, and strategies. The document should aid planners accessing climate finance to support sustainable transport initiatives, as well as to assist evaluators in understanding and measuring GHG benefits of proposed investments. While the focus of the document is on measuring GHG benefits, many of the methods discussed are broadly useful for understanding other important social benefits including air pollution and traffic congestion reduction, fuel savings, increased traffic safety, and access to opportunities across the income spectrum.

This slide presentation provides an argument for the evaluation of adaptation plans. It discusses the challenges, context, approach, key areas and building blocks of the Global Environmental Facility’s (GEF) approach.