September 2023 Newsletter Recap: Behavior Change
Did you miss the Climatelinks September newsletter? We’ve got you covered. Please find a recap of the September ‘Behavior Change’ theme below. You won’t want to miss this short list of top programs, resources, and blogs from the month. Do you want to contribute to the Climatelinks community? Send us a resource, blog, or event.
USAID’s 2022–2030 Climate Strategy recognizes behavior change as a critical component of successful climate change initiatives. As the climate crisis continues to affect lives and livelihoods around the world, adapting to and mitigating its effects will require people to modify their behaviors or adopt new ones related to health, agriculture, natural resource management, infrastructure, and beyond.
Fresh Blog Posts
Four Ways USAID Supports African Climate Leadership
USAID has long supported African-led climate programming that aims to address the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change and work toward a cleaner, safer, and more equitable Africa. From helping to improve air quality in Kenya to supporting forest conservation in the Congo Basin, USAID remains committed to advancing African countries’ ambitious climate goals.
Integrating Climate Change into Biodiversity Programming in Karamoja, Uganda
The USAID Biodiversity for Resilience Activity helps communities in northeastern Uganda use sustainable land management practices to address the threat of agricultural expansion into natural ecosystems. The activity piloted a program aligned with USAID’s Climate Strategy to develop and implement climate-smart land management practices to boost resilience and improve watershed management.
New Resources
Reducing Single-Use Plastics Through Social and Behavior Change Research
As part of the Save Our Seas Initiative, USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program collaborates with local partners around the world to promote behavior change that reduces single-use plastics. This case study shares how the program uses qualitative research to test locally relevant, feasible practices to decrease plastic use in the Maldives and stop plastic leakage into the ocean.
USAID Water and Development Technical Brief: Social and Behavior Change for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Within the WASH and water resource management sectors, communication-only approaches do not result in sustained behavior change. This technical brief offers key takeaways for developing a holistic approach to effective social and behavior change programs.
Supporting Micronesian Communities to Access Funds for Adaptation Projects
Pacific Island communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and need allies to support their implementation of climate solutions. This resource explains how USAID Climate Ready, in partnership with the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, has helped mobilize more than $680,000 for community-level adaptation projects in the Federated States of Micronesia by unblocking access to small grant funding.
Video: Women in Forest Carbon Initiative
Women’s representation in climate science is still rare, with women only accounting for 20 percent of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report authors. This video highlights The U.S. Forest Service's Women in Forest Carbon Initiative, which provides women scientists and students with professional experiences, training, and mentorship to create more opportunities for women in forest management and carbon monitoring.
Climate Risk Management Spotlight
Effective climate risk management (CRM) requires accessing, digesting, and applying climate information, a task that can often seem overwhelming. This primer helps decision makers and practitioners charged with CRM determine what climate information is appropriate to use for different contexts and development objectives and to leverage that information to enhance program impacts.
Call for Content
Share your events and resources or write a blog related to an upcoming monthly theme! Check out our upcoming themes to see if your climate work aligns:
- October: Behavior Change
- November and December: COP28
If your USAID-related climate change work relates to these themes, Climatelinks would love to feature your work and share your resources. Send us a resource or blog.
Climatelinks
Climatelinks is a global knowledge portal for USAID staff, implementing partners, and the broader community working at the intersection of climate change and international development. The portal curates and archives technical guidance and knowledge related to USAID’s work to help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.
