Earth Day 2021: An Overview of SERVIR's Climate Change Approach

For Earth Day this year, SERVIR is voicing its commitment to addressing climate change in its services. Climate change threatens sources of food and water, increase the severity and frequency of disasters, endanger critical ecosystems, and can exacerbate existing social inequities. To meet the threats posed by climate change, governments and communities must be able to both mitigate its root causes, but also be ready to adapt to its effects. SERVIR services are designed to help partners and stakeholders at the national, regional, and local levels get needed resources and support to tackle both of these challenges.

Climate Change Mitigation:

SERVIR’s mitigation-oriented services help partners meet emissions reporting requirements, as well as guide measures to reduce those emissions. The Land Cover, Land Use, and Ecosystems thematic area includes a variety of services and tools that help stakeholders monitor the coverage and health of landscapes that provide carbon sinks and other valuable ecosystem services. This includes rainforests that sequester large volumes of carbon dioxide, mangrove forests that help protect coastal communities from floods, and rangelands that provide sustainable food systems.

Resources like land cover mapping help end-users plan sustainable land management practices, identify at-risk habitats, and estimate the impacts of land cover changes on emissions. Other projects track land uses tied to environmental degradation and increased emissions, such as artisanal gold mining or charcoal production. This information supports international climate agreements, such as by helping governments meet REDD+ guidelines or report their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations.

Climate Change Adaptation:

With a climate that is already rapidly changing, SERVIR recognizes that it is not enough to mitigate root causes and that communities must also adapt and practice climate resilient development. SERVIR’s climate change adaptation efforts include fostering communities’ disaster resilience and readiness, reinforcing the security of food and water systems, and informing risk financing efforts.

Improving weather forecasting capabilities and developing early warning systems for a variety of hazards (including drought, flooding, and air pollution) helps communities increase their capacity to manage disasters. Crop yield estimates and agricultural forecasts work to protect food supply chains, inform agricultural decision-making, and guide the roll-out of insurance. Hydrological modeling and efforts to map the availability and quality of surface and groundwater similarly supports water security that can be threatened by ecological degradation and changing weather.

SERVIR also conducts climate vulnerability mapping and is expanding its efforts to integrate gender equity and social inclusion in its services. Women, indigenous groups, and other communities who are often excluded from decision-making processes are also often the same communities most at risk from the adverse effects of climate change, as their needs are less likely to be incorporated into planning and they may be less likely to receive aid. SERVIR recognizes climate change solutions need to work for everyone.

Learn more about SERVIR services in our recent SERVIR Report 2020 or in the SERVIR Global Service Catalogue.