Blog

Addressing climate change and conserving forests go hand-in-hand, but what does that look like in practice? This blog outlines six approaches for using the power of nature to address the climate crisis.

• 11/16/2022
• Neeha Mian

On November 16, 2020, a major climate change-induced disaster occurred: Hurricane Iota struck Providencia and Santa Catalina with winds of up to 240 kilometers per hour

• 05/11/2022
• Thomas Black, Ricardo Ramirez, Michael Ingram, Jairo Gutierrez, Daniella Rough , Johanna Koolemans-Beynen, Emily Klos

This blog is the second part in an Editor’s Pick Series highlighting USAID’s work with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

• 04/19/2022
• Sophie Schrader

Did you miss the Climatelinks February newsletter? We’ve got you covered. Please find a recap of the February 2022 ‘Regional Approaches to Climate & Development’ 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.

• 03/16/2022
• Sophie Schrader

In order for USAID to have maximum impact in confronting the most urgent demands of the climate crisis, improved participation at all levels is key. Thus, an increased emphasis on working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities is critical to USAID’s climate efforts.

• 03/03/2022
• Sophie Schrader

Key to carrying out a coordinated regional response is USAID’s Amazon Regional Environment Program (AREP), which partners with governments and stakeholders across six Amazon countries—Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.

• 03/01/2022
• Wendy Putnam

While the threats posed by climate change may be daunting, USAID programs are rising to the challenge. In this newsletter, explore and learn from USAID’s efforts to address regional impacts of climate change, which can help inform global climate solutions. 

• 02/16/2022
• Sophie Schrader

The convergence of tropical atmospheric currents generate a steady wind across Northern Colombia. This persistent climatic phenomenon provides the potential for a very reliable and expansive source of wind-generated power.

• 04/22/2021
• Tedi Rabold

Congratulations to the 13 winners of the 2020 Climatelinks Photo Contest!

This year’s theme, “Healthy Forests for a Healthy Future,” focuses on nature-based solutions to climate change such as active reforestation, plantations, agroforestry, and natural regeneration. The winning photos tell the stories of individual and community change agents for sustainable development, forest protection, and a climate-secure future.

• 01/25/2021
• Steve Hardeman

Uptake of low emissions agriculture research outputs by policymakers and other stakeholders requires time. Even when researchers are interested in pursuing the scaling and use of research outputs, most are not incentivized to take this on. Allocating targeted resources and donor support, while involving science communicators and outreach specialists can be effective in overcoming constraints to delivering low emission development research to policymakers.

• 10/21/2020
• Arun Khatri-Chhetri

Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) recently completed its first successful renewable energy auction, enabling the government to obtain variable renewable energy (VRE) at globally low-cost prices. The auction awarded contracts that are estimated to attract more than $1.3 billion of private sector investment and will enhance the country’s capacity to provide reliable electricity supplies to its communities.

• 06/23/2020
• Andrew Fang, Kristen Madler, Sarah Lawson

Illegal alluvial gold mining in Colombia is a complex phenomenon that not only sweeps away vegetation but alters the balance of ecosystems through aggressive mechanical extraction methods that create deserts. In Antioquia, Colombia, this has degraded over 45 thousand hectares of land, stripping away valuable trees that can absorb carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases.

• 04/09/2020
• Climatelinks

South America may be sitting, unaware, on a pile of climate gold, ammunition in efforts to forestall global warming. New maps of tropical and subtropical peatlands suggest these carbon-rich wetlands are more widespread in South America than on any other continent, with significant deposits in the Andean mountains.

• 11/25/2019
• CIFOR

Transparent greenhouse gas emissions accounting is essential for monitoring global progress in the fight against climate change. While many countries are implementing ambitious mitigation actions, measuring and reporting of the greenhouse gas impacts of those actions within national inventories remains a persistent challenge.

• 04/02/2019
• Marian Van Pelt

A USAID/Colombia program that concluded in 2017 saved manufacturing facilities hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to an assessment of the environmental benefits and cost savings associated with the project’s energy efficiency interventions.

• 02/08/2018
• Derina Man, John Venezia, Kevin Kurkul