Sand is a fundamental feature of modern society. It is the second most used natural resource in the world, second only to water, and the single most mined material. In the ocean, sand forms the literals and figurative foundations upon which the future of coastal communities, biodiversity, and multi-billion-dollar industries rest.

The report is a synthesis of different views and analyses of practical action for addressing climate loss and damage. It considers mobilising and innovative finance, assessing needs and delivering actions.

The report synthesises the main messages from the COP27 Resilience Hub and aims to help set the direction for future action towards COP28 and beyond.

The future of the ocean economy depends on our ability to navigate, mitigate and adapt to climate change and other environmental and socioeconomic shocks and their interlinked impacts. This brief provides an overview of existing indicator-based tools to assess ocean risks and vulnerabilities based on a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles and grey literature.

This insights brief presents key themes and recommendations that emerged from the SARA activities and discussions that were convened over the course of 2021 in order to explore ways of addressing barriers and unlocking key actions to transform food systems in southern Africa.

Transformation is needed to move southern Africa’s current food system into a space that is responsive to future uncertainties, climate-resilient, as well as environmentally and socially sustainable. Research plays an integral role in this shift. This report contextualises the actions of the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) in 2021, a year covering many pivotal events towards food systems transformation.

New Advancing Resilience Measurement Consultation Report by USAID, GRP and University of Arizona addresses the challenges and gaps in resilience measurement and evidence by setting a common agenda for actors.

Economy and Finance for a Just Future on a Thriving Planet explores the role of economic metrics and the finance sector in a new Anthropocene context. The report synthesizes the finding of a series of dialogues by leading scientists, international organizations, investors, and other change-makers on what a new agenda for economics and finance should look like, and defines tangible pathways for action for our living planet and for prosperity for all.

Environment of Peace: Security in a New Era of Risk surveys the evolving risk landscape and documents a number of developments that indicate a pathway to solutions––in international law and policy, in peacekeeping operations and among non-governmental organizations. It finds that two principal avenues need to be developed: (a) combining peacebuilding and environmental restoration, and (b) effectively addressing the underlying environmental issues. It also analyses the potential of existing and emerging pro-environment measures for exacerbating risks to peace and security. The findings demonstrate that only just and peaceful transitions to more sustainable practices can be effective––and show that these transitions also need to be rapid.

Biodiversity risk is increasingly going to be on the corporate radar as part of ongoing work to mitigate climate change risk (and support nature-based solutions) and broader initiatives on ESG. At the same time, accounting and reporting standards for biodiversity-related risks and impacts are taking shape.