Did you miss the ‘USAID at COP27’ newsletter? We’ve got you covered with the recap below. You won’t want to miss this short list of top blogs, resources, and programs from November 2022. Do you want to contribute to the Climatelinks community? Send us a resource, blog, or event.
Every year at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), the global community gathers to discuss climate change. Last year, at COP26, USAID made numerous commitments to climate action. Progress on these initiatives, as well as new announcements made during the recently completed COP27, are detailed on the page, USAID at COP27. In this newsletter, view a sampling of the many blogs and resources that align with COP27 themes, as well as upcoming opportunities.
Fresh Blogs:
Ali Abdo’s Ride to COP27
Ali Abdo, pictured above, rode his electric motorcycle across Egypt on a 30-day journey that concluded at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh. Along the way, Ali interviewed local community members—with a special focus on students, youth, and small businesses—while he charged his bike to hear how climate change is affecting the average Egyptian and what local communities throughout the country are doing to mitigate and adapt.
Read more and watch the video of Ali’s ride to COP27.
USAID’s Efforts to Close the Climate Funding Gap
As part of the global effort to increase climate finance flows, USAID's 2022-2030 Climate Strategy established a target of mobilizing $150 billion in climate finance by 2030 from public and private sources. To meet these climate targets and incentivize investment, USAID is integrating climate finance throughout Agency programming and establishing key activities and mechanisms that engage the private sector.
Leveraging the Power of Nature
Addressing climate change and conserving forests go hand in hand, but what does that look like in practice? This blog outlines six approaches on using the power of nature to address the climate crisis.
USAID’s Best Practices for Advancing Gender-Responsive Climate Work
USAID is advancing gender-responsive climate action by implementing evidence-based, high-impact programs in a range of sectors, including gender-equitable access to green jobs, land rights, natural resource management, and climate finance.
Training Young Indigenous Leaders for the Clean Energy Economy
To promote a just and inclusive transition to clean energy in Colombia, USAID has partnered with the Government of Colombia to create a local workforce training program tailored to meet the needs of both the Indigenous communities and the renewable energy companies working in the province of Guajira. This work serves as a case study for other USAID Missions on how to implement an inclusive approach that engages and empowers local communities, including the most marginalized members.
New Resources:
U.S. Center at COP27
The U.S. Center hosted theme-day events throughout COP27. Check out the video recordings of those events to catch up on sessions on topics ranging from food security and climate finance to biodiversity and inclusive development.
Gender Equality and Climate Finance Technical Brief
USAID’s response to the global climate crisis prioritizes the meaningful participation of critical populations—including women, youth, and other marginalized and underrepresented groups—to achieve targeted direct action and systems change. Climate finance offers a pathway to achieve equitable climate action and support a transition to a low-carbon future.
Climate Finance for Development Accelerator
The USAID Climate Finance for Development Accelerator (CFDA) is a $250 million initiative designed to mobilize $2.5 billion in public and private climate investments by 2030. These investments will fund a range of climate change mitigation and adaptation activities focused on scaling up the transition to an equitable and resilient net-zero economy. USAID also recently launched the Climate Finance Investment Network , which will be managed by the CFDA, to bring together climate finance stakeholders across diverse sectors and markets to encourage private sector climate financing through learning, partnership facilitation, and catalytic grants.
Amazon Vision 2021 Report Summary
USAID strives to support a healthy and resilient Amazon basin that is valued by society, ensures human well-being, and safeguards our global climate. USAID recently published the Amazon Vision 2021 Report, which provides insight into USAID's work to conserve biodiversity and reduce the loss of carbon from the Amazon region. The Amazon Vision framework establishes a strategic regional response across Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, and Suriname. This report shares progress toward Amazon Vision’s ongoing efforts.
Updated Climate Change Fact Sheets
Are you wondering how USAID is supporting climate action around the world? Climate change fact sheets with updated information highlighting USAID’s country-specific climate work are now available for Guatemala, Indonesia, Cambodia, Gabon, Kenya, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, and Vietnam.
Sophie Schrader
Sophie Schrader is a communications coordinator for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s International Partnerships. Previously, Sophie supported USAID communications through the Sharing Environment and Energy Knowledge (SEEK) and Advancing Capacity for the Environment (ACE) programs, including as the Content and Social Media Manager for Climatelinks under SEEK. Sophie holds a B.A. in Sociology and Studio Art from The College of Wooster and completed a thesis focused on the real life impact of hashtags utilized in digital movements.
