By A. Adam Glenn

In the news: President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise election victory has unsettled a major global warming treaty, just as diplomats gather at a major United Nation’s climate meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco. During his campaign, Trump threatened to “cancel” U.S. participation in last year’s Paris climate agreement, which went into effect Nov. 4. More than 100 nations are taking part, among them the United States.

Back story: Beginning Nov. 15, heads of state and high-level ministers will convene in Marrakesh for the Conference of Parties to the overarching United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as COP22. The Marrakesh meeting, which began formally Nov. 7, was seen as an opportunity to flesh out the details of the Paris Agreement, which committed nations to significant reductions in carbon emissions. The Paris deal also provided financing for poorer nations to adopt clean energy technology and adaptation measures. Now the stakes have been raised considerably.

Adaptation angle: Trump’s 100-day action plan once he takes office includes a pledge to “cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America’s water and environmental infrastructure.” The financing was a pillar of the Paris Agreement, viewed by frustrated leaders of developing nations as a measure of commitment by developed countries to address decades of carbon pollution responsible for impacts like sea-level rise, drought and severe weather. Rich nations had promised to expand $10 billion earmarked for the fund in 2014 to $100 billion a year from public and private sources by 2020. The United States had pledged $3 billion in the first round, although it has only made $500 million available so far. The rest of the U.S. funding is now in question, causing widespread unease among nations party to the agreement.

Questions to ask

• What might diplomats in Marrakesh do to push back against anti-treaty sentiment from the incoming president? Will a controversial effort dubbed the "Marrakesh Call" succeed in committing signatories to more aggressive climate action? Will there be an announcement from the so-called “high ambition coalition” that had pushed for a tougher plan in Paris? And what high-level political statements may come from heads of state and ministers, such as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to make a major speech Monday after arriving at the summit?
• How would a Trump administration act on its pledge to back out of the Paris Agreement? Will it take a fast route by issuing a presidential order deleting the U.S. signature, pulling out of the overarching framework convention established in 1992, or simply neglecting to carry out U.S. emission reduction commitments and funding pledges? Or will it formally withdraw from the Paris treaty, which is a several-year process?
• What might world leaders say to Trump about climate change as he prepares to take office? What about outgoing U.N. chief Ban-ki Moon, who has expressed confidence Trump will distance himself from his campaign rhetoric?
• Will business leaders who support climate action reach out to the new administration? What about groups representing U.S. and world cities, as well as U.S. states that are already committed to climate action?
• If the United States does balk at its $3 billion commitment to the Green Climate Fund, would other rich nations raise their contributions to make up the difference?

Reporting resources

• Get general information on the Marrakesh meeting from the COP22 main site and COP 22 conference site, as well as the Marrakesh Conference Information Hub and the UNFCCC Newsroom
• Check U.S. activity via theS. State Department COP22 Center and its schedule of streamed events.
• Read the COP22 TipSheet, produced by the Society of Environmental Journalists. You can also subscribe to EJ Today, SEJ's daily headlines service.
• Track info on the Paris Agreement, scan the list of participating countries, and read this FAQ.
• Learn more about U.N. adaptation plans from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• Check the Green Climate Fund site for plans to finance investment in climate-resilient development and adaptation (more).
• Find other adaptation-related documents and data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is the U.N.’s climate change scientific body. IPCC resources include Climate Change Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers, which provides more perspectives on future adaptation, and IPCC’s 2014 report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

Dig deeper on COP22, the Paris Agreement and U.N. adaptation financing using additional resources in the Reporter’s Guide to Climate Adaptation database.

Know of other Marrakesh-related resources we should include in our database?

• Share your resources.
• Share your U.N. climate and adaptation stories and story angles.

Posted by A. Adam Glenn on Nov. 16, 2016

In the news: Poverty is a major factor in the death of victims of natural disasters, including those that are climate related, according to a United Nations report released on Oct. 13 in connection with the International Day for Disaster Reduction. The U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction found that of the 1.35 million people who died in more than 7,000 disaster events, 90 percent came from low- and middle-income countries.

Back story: While earthquakes and tsunamis kill more people overall, the U.N. says “stealth” climate disasters are close behind as rising sea levels and global warming worsen extreme weather events. In fact, the organization says in 15 of the last 20 years climate-related disasters claimed more lives than earthquakes. But while natural hazards strike countries regardless of national income, it found the severity of the impacts are directly related to income and development levels, particularly when it comes to deaths: the poorer the country, the higher the number of disaster deaths there are likely to be.

Adaptation angle: Disaster damage could be substantially reduced with more resilient critical infrastructure and basic services, including health and educational facilities, says the U.N. That’s the intention of its Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which calls for greater public and private investment in resilient infrastructure.  “Let us move from a culture of reaction to one of prevention and build resilience by reducing loss of life,” said U.N. General Secretary Ban Ki-moon in a Disaster Reduction Day message.

Questions to ask

• Do poorer countries suffer in specific kinds of disasters, and why?
• What kinds of deadly climate-related disasters are emerging? Mostly storms and flooding? Or heat waves and drought-related food shortages as well?
• Has the number of disasters increased or just their impact?
• What kind of resilient infrastructure would protect against particularly deadly disasters?
• Where might finances come from to pay for building resilient, life-saving infrastructure?
• How much of a factor for impending disasters is the lack of early warning systems or weather forecasting?
• What preventative land-use policies are possible? Improved building codes? Investment in earthquake-resistant infrastructure such as for housing, schools, health facilities and work places?
• What role does urbanization play in the increase in disaster fatalities in poorer countries?
• To what extent does a state of conflict in a country affect its vulnerability to losses from disasters?
• What kinds of political and social pressures are at play when it comes to investing in preventative measures for relatively rare disaster events, as compared to expenditures needed for more immediate societal needs?
• Are low-cost solutions, such as elevated structures in flood zones, as effective as more expensive approaches, like sea walls?
• What are examples of poorer countries successfully planning and-or implementing disaster prevention plans?
• What are the biggest risks for higher-income countries, such as from hurricanes or vulnerability for nuclear facilities?

Reporting resources

• Review the “Poverty & Death: Disaster Mortality 1996-2015” report, released Oct. 13 by the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The UNISDR’s 22-page report includes a graphic showing the 20 deadliest disasters of the last 20 years, sections on trends in climate-related and other disasters, and mortality by income and types of disasters. Also see a 2015 report on “The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters.”
• Visit the main UNISDR website, which includes a range of explainers, reports and resources on building resilience against natural hazards and climate change impacts.
• Get familiar with the Sendai Framework, a 15-year agreement adopted in 2015 to outline the role of governments and others in reducing disaster risk.
• Check different countries’ disaster resilience initiatives via the U.N. Development Program’s database.
• Learn more about the International Day for Disaster Reduction, through its web portal, which lists events and resources.
• Mine the resources of PreventionWeb, a participatory web platform for the disaster risk reduction community, which includes extensive sections on disaster risk and the Sendai framework, themes like social impact and resilience, nearly a dozen-and-a-half different hazards, and an interactive country and region map.
• Identify the key risks that threaten nations in a G-7 report on A New Climate for Peace: Taking Action on Climate and Fragility Risks. The document explores risk factors and recommends resilience actions, as well as provides country case studies, a fact book, risk briefs, suggested reading and an events list.
• Explore the Nansen Initiative, an inter-governmental effort to help protect those displaced across borders due to natural disasters. The site includes an archive of dozens of backgrounders and statements, plus policy reviews and research.
• Scan two World Bank-related reports: (1) Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management, which looks at flood risk assessment and the development of low-risk infrastructure, (2) Which Coastal Cities Are at Highest Risk of Damaging Floods?, which outlines the cost of urban losses from flooding in coastal cities.

Dig deeper on the disaster response story using the dozens of related resources in the Reporter’s Guide to Climate Adaptation database.

Know of other disaster-response-related resources we should include in our database?

• Share your resources.
• Share your disaster response stories and story angles.

Posted by A. Adam Glenn on Oct. 24, 2016

In the news: The historic Paris Agreement is poised for enactment now that key milestones are nearly met for the number of countries taking part -- including newly joined India -- and for the amount of carbon emissions those countries represent.

Back story: When the United Nations agreed to the new climate change treaty in December 2015, the pact included a unique threshold: (1) at least 55 countries party to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change join the agreement and (2) they collectively represent 55 percent of global emissions. Nearing those numbers in recent months, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged ratification during a high-profile event at the U.N. on Sept. 21.

Adaptation angle: A key component of the Paris climate change agreement is its focus on adapting to global warming’s effects, while enhancing adaptation support to help developing countries. That means offering financing through a new Green Climate Fund, as well as providing enhanced capacity building and new technology.

Questions to ask

• What nations does the U.N. see as most vulnerable to climate risk, and urgently needing adaptation activities? How will the Paris Agreement help them?
• How well is the Paris Agreement doing in mobilizing technological support for developing countries?
• How will the Green Climate Fund raise its target of $100 billion-per-year from developed countries, with half for adaptation activities, when it’s so far below that now?
• What role will private investment play in adaptation activities related to the Green Climate Fund?
• Are there good examples of adaptation plans being developed on a local, national or regional level?
• How successfully are adaptation plans going from the blueprint stage to actual implementation?
• How will the agreement address losses already incurred by vulnerable nations from climate impacts?
• How will adaptation goals in the Paris Agreement mesh with those of the U.N.’s new Sustainable Development Goals for 2030?

Reporting resources

• Read the final draft of the Paris Agreement (PDF), officially adopted by the U.N. on Dec. 21, 2015, and check the summit’s final report.
• See what countries have joined the agreement, and answer questions about the treaty through this FAQ.
• Get more background about adaptation via the parent treaty, the N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, via the U.N. Climate Change Newsroom or its Big Picture overview site. And learn more about the U.N.'s direct work around adaptation (plus, more here).
• Follow the money through the Green Climate Fund, the U.N.-backed source to finance investment in climate-resilient development and adaptation. Here’s more background via the UNFCC.
• Gather adaptation-related documents and data from the IPCC, or Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N.’s climate change scientific body.
• Check out the IPCC’s most recent Climate Change Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers, which has perspectives on future pathways for adaptation, and its data distribution center. Also see its 2014 report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
• Track the climate and disaster resilience initiatives of various nations through the U.N. Development Program’s database, as well as through the U.N.’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, which focuses primarily on building resilience against climate change and includes resources such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a Climate Risk Early Warning Systems initiative launched during the Paris Talks, and a report on “The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters.”
• See the U.N.’s climate-related protocol known as the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.
• For business-related angles, see the following:
• Caring for Climate initiative, which mobilizes business leaders to implement climate change adaptation policies.
• Resilient Pathways report, which looks at climate impacts on the information and communication tech sector.
• A report from U.N. agencies on climate resilience and adaptation in agriculture sectors
• Learn about adaptation and resilience efforts around the globe through the U.N.’s National Adaptation Plans database, which also includes links to technical guidelines and publications.
• For regional perspectives, see the U.N. Environmental Program’s Asia-Pacific Adaptation Project and its “Africa’s Adaptation Gap” report.
• Learn how recently adopted U.N. Sustainable Development Goals directly address climate adaptation.

Dig deeper on the Paris Agreement and adaptation story using additional resources in the Reporter’s Guide to Climate Adaptation database.

Know of other U.N.-related resources we should include in our database?

• Share your resources.
• Share your U.N. climate and adaptation stories and story angles.

Posted by A. Adam Glenn on Oct. 3, 2016

In the news: A months-long drought has hit the northeastern United States, and while it’s not as dire as the West Coast’s five-year dry spell, it has stressed farms, prompted water restrictions and threatened more wildfires. It stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania and has hit Massachusetts particularly hard, as well as New Hampshire, Maine and New York.

Back story: U.S. drought has worsened in recent decades, and is affecting much of the country. As of early August drought is affecting 17.7 percent of the United States., and more than 100 million people. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, large portions of the Southwest have experienced the most persistent droughts on record in the last decade. Globally, since the 1950s, regions like southern Europe and West Africa have also experienced longer and more intense droughts.

Adaptation angle: Projections see worsening drought ahead, requiring government, businesses and individuals to adjust water consumption, and to prepare for impacts of drought on food and water supplies, human health, energy production, transportation, migration and a slew of other policy areas.

The United Nations expects more drought in the coming decades not just in southern Europe and the Mediterranean, but also in central Europe, central North America, northeast Brazil, southern Africa, Mexico and Central America. In the United States, Climate Central projects 36 states will see an increase in drought threat by 2050, with many states facing severe, widespread drought causing major economic and environmental impacts. By 2050, it says nine states — Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington — are projected to face a greater summer drought threat than the most at-risk state, Texas, does today.

Questions to ask

• Is your community in a state or region that has experienced or is expected to see worsening drought? If so, what, if any, response plans are in place from policymakers?
• What state and local agencies have authority over water usage?
• Are water-use restrictions currently in place? Are they mandatory or voluntary? If mandatory, are they being enforced?
• What kind of water efficiencies might be possible in your area, such as shorter pipe networks?
• What kind of land-use policies, such as more compact communities, might improve drought resilience in your community?
• What drought-resistant lawns or landscaping techniques can residents use?
• What might be the infrastructure impact of drought in your area? Are soils shrinking, damaging pavements? Are buildings in your area experiencing drought-related foundation cracking? Is there damage to underground pipelines?
• What is your area’s primary water supply and what is the impact of drought? Are reservoir levels dropping or streams drying up? Is drinking water quality being affected?
• Could low river flows cause salt-water intrusion in your area? Or foster subsidence in soils as groundwater supplies are used up?
• What kind of public health considerations does drought bring to your community, whether with food preparation, sanitation, recreation or water quality?
• Is the balance of the water supply going to agriculture or populated areas? Should water resources be diverted from one to the other?
• For agricultural areas, what are the impacts of drought, ranging from slower plant growth to crop losses?
• Are agricultural firms or scientific organizations in your area researching drought-resistant crops?
• Is drying vegetation elevating the risk of wildfire in your area? Is drought weakening forests and making them vulnerable to infestations?
• What are the ecosystem impacts of drought in your area? Disease among wildlife? Loss of wetlands? Soil erosion or desertification?

Reporting resources

• Review global prospects for drought and possible adaptations from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, or search among thousands of drought-related results from the U.N. Climate Change Newsroom.
• Get U.S. drought data from the EPA’s Climate Change Indicators in the United States, which has a section on drought, including a close-up look at temperature and drought in the Southwest. Also see the EPA’s site on drought response for the nation’s water utilities.
• Check the U.S. government’s Drought Portal weekly for a monitor showing where drought is hitting, plus get a seasonal outlook, drought impacts reporting, and a ZIP code interactive to see how drought is affecting your neighborhood. The site also has a planning and preparedness section with extensive links to drought response resources such as a “Planning and Drought” report from the American Planning Association.
• Scan drought maps and outlooks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as this NOAA-funded Drought Risk Atlas. NOAA also has a technical service that helps planners in the Eastern United States improve drought preparedness.
• Detail U.S. drought risks using the 2014 National Climate Assessment, which includes discussion of drought in its section on extreme weather.
• Read up on the economic and policy risks of U.S. drought via the Risky Business Project, which also has special reports that touch on drought in California, Texas and the Southeast United States, and the Midwest.
• Explore drought policy plans via Georgetown Climate Center’s adaptation clearinghouse. Find dozens of results that can be filtered by relevance, date and rating by searching the database for “drought.” The Center has also prepared two drought case studies for Austin, Texas, and Beijing.
• Review state-by-state preparedness plans for “drought” through the States at Risk Report Card. Montana, for example, earned an F because it faces one of the highest threats in the country and has one of the worst preparedness scores, whereas Oregon (A-) is one of the leaders in preparing for its drought risks.
• Explore cities around the world focused on drought. There are a dozen-and-a-half in the 100 Resilient Cities program (use the Selected Cities database and search under “challenges” for drought).

Dig deeper on the drought story using the dozens of related resources in the Reporter’s Guide to Climate Adaptation database.

Know of other drought-related resources we should have in our database?

• Share your resources.
• Share your drought stories and story angles.

Posted by A. Adam Glenn on August 12, 2016

Different organizations define adaptation differently, but they all revolve around taking some action to reduce vulnerability to changes in the climate - real or anticipated. Here are some definitions: