
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world today. Long-term development planning must now include measures to deal with it.
Displaying 1-20 of 51 links
The Africa Portal, part of the larger Africa Initiative project, is an online resource for policy-related issues in Africa, covering climate change, food security, energy and health, among other areas. It is published by the Centre for International Governance Innovation; Makerere University, Uganda; and the South African Institute of International Affairs. The website offers an open access publications library with more than 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents available online or to download. It also publishes opinion and analysis on current issues, a directory of experts on African policy, and announcements including events and grants.
This site provides access to reports of projects and case studies conducted as part of the international Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change in Multiple Regions and Sectors (AIACC) initiative. A searchable database of projects by country, region, and sector contains some of the final reports in pdf format.
The projects cover adaptation in almost all sectors, with five projects with final reports in southern Africa, one project in eastern Africa and three projects in western Africa. The site also provides accessible summaries of each project, as well as updates posted throughout the duration of the studies.
A project of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, AlertNet is a news aggregator that aims to raise awareness of humanitarian crises around the globe, particularly 'forgotten' emergencies that rarely make headlines. It publishes news from over 400 aid agencies and other media outlets across a range of topics, from natural disasters to climate change to health. AlertNet also provides tools for journalists, including facts and figures, crisis briefings and training modules.
BioCarbon Tracker is a free tool that provides data and maps to help organisations prevent greenhouse gas emissions by preserving forests and woodlands. It uses satellite data and advanced methods to identify ecosystems where biocarbon (carbon absorbed by plants) is stored; vegetation at risk from land use change; and land with high biocarbon stock that is converted to agriculture. The website provides an overview of how the maps are constructed, and a library of maps showing carbon stores around the world. It also publishes a blog highlighting relevant news, events and information.
This web portal is the starting point for Africa-related biomass information. It contains the latest news on biofuels research on the continent, as well as an events calendar and discussion forum.
CABI is a not-for-profit, intergovernmental organisation specialising in agricultural and environmental research, publishing and communication. With over 40 different member countries, its scientific projects include finding ways to lower production costs while using ecological practices. CABI studies environmental impacts of invasive species and pests, and searches for natural ways of controlling them. CABI also finds solutions to agricultural problems caused by climate change, provides microbial services and advises on trade policy.
Checkbiotech's Green Portal focuses on using biotechnology for a sustainable future. It contains news and features on biofuels research and development in both developed and developing countries.
Articles focus on: how improving production methods with enzymes can increase biofuel yields; key research breakthroughs; how enhancing plant genetics can improve biofuel yields and make agriculture more sustainable; world politics surrounding biofuels; who the key industry players in the biofuels market are; and how biofuels are changing global economics.
This not-for-profit arm of the water, climate and policy think tank, the Pacific Institute, publishes information on the global freshwater crisis, written by journalists, scientists and others. It publishes daily news and data, as well as commentaries, book reviews and special reports on issues such as traditional knowledge for drought management in Botswana, and hydropower in Argentina.
The website also hosts images and video content.
This online resource captures current articles, reports, papers and books sourced from nongovernmental organisations and development agencies such as ActionAid, SouthSouthNorth, the International Institute for Environment and Development and the World Bank. The site features short summaries and links to full papers, all of which are relevant to adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa.
This website provides guidance on financing options available for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the developing world. It publishes information on where to access funds available from multilateral and bilateral institutions, as well as public and private sources. This includes information on how the funds are governed, and how to assess project eligibility. The websites invites users to offer feedback and comment on ongoing projects, and share their experiences with projects that were funded successfully.
Part of the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, United Kingdom, Climate Lite publishes briefings and short films on climate change and international development.
These cover issues including low-carbon development, climate change research and the Sahel community, China's position on reducing carbon emissions, the legal aspects of encouraging the United States to sign up to a climate agreement, social protection and climate adaptation, and pro-poor climate adaptation.
The information is presented in non-technical language, making it accessible for people with little knowledge of climate change. The website is aimed at policymakers and climate change practitioners.
Climate-L.org, run by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, publishes information on international climate change negotiations and other related activities, including updates on UN processes and notification of research publications. The information is arranged by actors involved, activities undertaken or issues considered (including reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation – REDD). Site highlights include regular policy updates and a diary of upcoming events.
This website hosts the Earth Journalism Network, which aims to help journalists from developing countries to report on environmental issues more effectively. The network was developed by the Internews Network and Internews Europe and it organises the Earth Journalism Awards programme.
It also establishes links among environmental journalists, offering capacity building through workshops, training materials, support for production and distribution, and small grants. The website provides information about the Network's activities and partners, fellowship programmes, and useful tools and resources. These include a toolkit and online courses with tips on how to report on popular environmental issues, and studies of environmental journalism.
Earthscan publishes books and journals on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology. It offers a free one-hour webcast on relevant topics every month through its website, and these are archived and stored in downloadable formats. It also publishes a blog that includes opinions, news and events, and feeds from other social media — 'tweets' and links to the Earthscan YouTube channel. The website contains a searchable database of publications and an ordering service.
This website provides briefing documents for decision makers on current proposals under negotiation in the Bali Action Plan. A summary of key issues in the climate negotiations is available along with background information and commentary on the plan's building blocks — mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance — as well as land use, land-use change and forestry. The website supports a UN Development Programme project, involving 10 countries to assess developing countries' funding requirements for mitigating and adapting to climate change.
This web portal publishes news and information on the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) activities in climate change. It links to key FAO publications on agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries as well as cross-sector topics such as bioenergy, biodiversity and climate risk management. The gateway gives information on FAO's work in these areas and provides links to relevant factsheets, events and multimedia including videos and audio lectures.