Climate Change
The use of Ecosystem-based Adaptation practices by smallholder farmers in Central AmericaBACKGROUNDAmidst the impacts of climate change in agricultural sector, there is an increasing number of smallholder farmers across the different landscapes of Central America engaged in sustainable, Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) practices Open access copy available |
The Evolution of International Policy on REDD+BACKGROUNDThe article traces the background and history of REDD+ starting from gaps identified in the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol (i.e. the lack of projects to reduce emissions due to deforestation in developing countries), to the early beginning of RED or reduced emissions from deforestation, and finally to its evolution as embedded in the Paris Agreement of 2015 as REDD+ (Article 5). Available with subscription or purchase |
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+): game changer or just another quick fix?BACKGROUNDThe article provides an extensive review of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in terms of its promise of multiple co-benefits as well as the various challenges it faces in its implementation. It features the Norway-Indonesia REDD+ as the most recent case study and examines whether it holds true to its name as a breakthrough mechanism in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) build-up in the atmosphere primarily due to the unabated carbon emissions and tropical deforestation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security in 2030BACKGROUNDAdaptation has shown to be one of the solutions to coping with the severe effects of climate change. Investments are being made to improve agricultural production in food insecure regions, in the face of climate change. Adaptation mechanisms to be used include the use of more costly measures and identifying climate risk hotspots. Available with subscription or purchase |
Adopt a carbon tax to protect tropical forestsBackgroundThe authors states that the halting of deforestation is critical to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, the investment in conservation is lacking. Thus, they call upon countries through out the tropics to adopt a carbon tax, which would serve as a disincentive for companies to continue deforestation. Open access copy available |
Vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change in Central America and Mexico: current knowledge and research gapsBackgroundThis article recognizes that smallholder farmers are both critical to the global agricultural sector yet are one of the most vulnerable populations to climate change. Specifically, farmers in Central America and Mexico are experiences particularly high threats, thus the authors focus on this subgroup. Open access copy available |
Revisiting IPCC Tier 1 coefficients for soil organic and biomass carbon storage in agroforestry systemsIntroductionWhile agroforestry systems cover a signifcant amount of land worldwide and have the capacity to sequester large amounts of carbon, they are often not considered in climate change mitigation. Most importantly, the IPCCC does not recognize them in carbon accounting primarily because there is so much diversity in the systems. Open access copy available |
Coffee Farming and Climate Change in Ethiopia: Impacts, Forecasts, Resilience and OpportunitiesIntroductionThis document is the outcome of a two-year project by the Strategic Climate Institutions Programme (SCIP). The project aimed to established strategies for a climate-resilient coffee economy in Ethiopia in which the effects of various climate change factors on coffee production and wild coffee forests were acccessed. Open access copy available |
Restoration of plant species and genetic diversity depends on landscape‐scale dispersalIntroductionThe article cites the importance of restoration efforts that leads to resilient, self-sustaining ecosystems in order to combat immense global change. Though biological and species diversity are key to this venture, they are rarely considered a factor. Thus, this review article highlights the connection between seed dispersal and species richness and diversity to landscape restoration. Available with subscription or purchase |
IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based SolutionsBACKGROUNDThis manual from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) contains a framework for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in terms of its verification, design and scaling up. It provides answers on key questions on NbS: why there is a need for the standard, what does the standard do, who can use the standard, and how can the standard be used. More importantly, it highlights the importance of working with nature and its immense potential of addressing a plethora of societal changes through initiatives that “protect, manage, and restore the environment.” Open access copy available |
