Blog archives
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The climate crisis and the fastest societal change, ever
27 January 2022‘Keeping 1.5 alive’ is going to take a monumental effort. Clare Shakya and Andrew Norton discuss factors that could drive the political ambition desperately needed for governments to keep the Paris Agreement’s most critical target in sight and deliver on climate finance promises ] ‘Keeping 1.5 alive’ is going to take a monumental effort. Clare Shakya and Andrew Norton discuss factors that could drive the political ambition desperately needed for governments to keep the Paris Agreement’s most critical target in sight and deliver on climate finance promises long overdue
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Towards gender equality: the digital rights of girls and women
24 January 2022The pandemic catalysed a worldwide shift to virtual engagement. But girls and women are still missing out.
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Loss and damage: erosion of Nepal’s life, land and beauty is deep and irreparable
19 January 2022Life-threatening floods from bursting glacial lakes are just one of the many impacts of climate change that are leaving the people of Nepal unable to cope. Guest blogger Shreya K.C. calls on world leaders to replace fake handshakes with concrete action
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Rethinking household surveys reveals true picture of health inequality
18 January 2022Groundbreaking work by a Nairobi-based research institute, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), shows the scale of health inequality in Nairobi and its informal settlements
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Bringing youth’s energy from the streets to the climate negotiating table
13 January 2022Guest blogger Yared Abera shares how he navigated the steep learning curve to becoming a climate negotiator and the valuable guidance he received along the way
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Legal empowerment as action research
11 January 2022Recognising legal empowerment as collective reflection and action led by those whose rights are at stake changes the role of researchers and the methods used to support, and learn from, processes of change
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Why COP26 was worth it
6 January 2022Eva Peace Mukayiranga describes challenges and highlights from the negotiating rooms in Glasgow and shares how she’ll be taking forward skills she learnt to COP27
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Planning ahead: how the CRISP-M tool advances early climate action
5 January 2022A new digital tool combining scientific climate risk information with local and traditional knowledge is helping communities in India manage climate risks more effectively
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IIED's best of 2021: videos
28 December 2021IIED produced more than 220 videos this year, ranging from award-nominated animations to a video-focused annual review and a fully online, high-profile Barbara Ward Lecture. Here are 10 of the best
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Multiple housing and climate-related vulnerabilities of informal workers in Indore, India
16 December 2021While informal workers in Indore, India contend with multi-faceted vulnerabilities, recent research shows a gradual transition towards resilience. Guest bloggers Siddharth Agarwal and Kanupriya Kothiwal discuss the findings.
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Starting a journey – reflections on race and racism and the work to do in our organisations and our sector
15 December 2021Andrew Norton reflects on deep challenges of enduring racism within the sustainable development sector and IIED’s ongoing work to contribute to progress
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Definitions matter – part two
8 December 2021How is it possible to monitor progress, or otherwise, towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water and sanitation without clear definitions?
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Decoloniality and the new ethics of climate and nature
23 November 2021"How many planets do we need if everyone on earth were to live just like you?"
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COP27 and the important year ahead
22 November 2021Just over a week on from the end of COP26 in Glasgow and the dust is settling. But as Andrew Norton reflects, any gains made from the event will require ongoing work and citizens demanding more radical action
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The case for sewers
19 November 2021On World Toilet Day 2021 we take a look at the surprisingly controversial role of sewers in countering poor-quality sanitation in cities in the global South
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Women claim their space in land governance
18 November 2021Guest blogger Megan Huth details how USAID is employing a novel approach to ensure that rural women participate in decisions about land and natural resource use in Liberia
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Tackling loss and damage: who is most vulnerable to disaster displacement?
17 November 2021Drawing on recent research, Simon Addison and Sam Barrett explain why disaster displacement risk assessments must integrate better quality data on the specific vulnerabilities of different people to escalating climate risks
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Digital tools amplify the voice of women in Peruvian communities
11 November 2021Perú’s ollas comunes or community-led soup kitchens – a community response to COVID-19 based on solidarity, tradition and resilience that is breaking gender norms – have embraced a hybrid way of working to ensure women’s voices are heard
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Definitions matter – part one
10 November 2021Why is it that many of the key statistics used to measure progress in development have no agreed definition – ‘city population’, ‘water availability’, ‘slum’ and ‘poverty line’ to name but a few
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New solidarity funds could ringfence finance for loss and damage
8 November 2021On Adaptation, Loss and Damage Day at COP26, Clara Gallagher and Saleemul Huq consider how National Solidarity Funds for loss and damage could get new and additional finance to countries experiencing devastating and relentless loss and damage caused by climate change
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Indigenous Peoples and forest communities are central to tackling the climate crisis – but they need finance
5 November 2021Forests, and the communities who protect and manage them, are critical in tackling climate change and nature loss. From COP26, guest blogger Gustavo Sánchez explains why they can no longer be ignored in the distribution of climate finance and describes a new fund that gets money directly to local forest level
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Financing least developed countries’ climate strategies: taking the long view
4 November 2021COP26 must urge all countries to continue to submit and implement long-term climate strategies – but least developed countries will need long-term financing to match
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Delivering high-quality, predictable and accessible climate finance for least developed countries
3 November 2021Increasing climate finance is high on the COP26 agenda; but for climate finance to bring lasting change it must be provided over the long term, be accessible and go towards strengthening governance systems
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New guide for linking sovereign debt to climate and nature action
2 November 2021During this 'super year', the world is focusing on international summits aiming to tackle global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. But a third crisis is looming: debt. A new practical 'how-to' guide for innovative debt instruments helps support developing countries tackle the triple crisis of debt, climate and nature
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Climate-induced migration illustrates loss and damage already being felt by communities
30 October 2021As global warming bites, vulnerable communities are being pushed from their homes by disasters and longer-term pressures, and desperately require financial help