Climate Risk Toolbox (CRTB)
Geospatial tool for the identification and assessment of climate risks in the agriculture sector
Description
The Climate Risk Toolbox (CRTB) is a global geospatial tool hosted on FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Geospatial Platform targeting the identification and mitigation of climate risks in the agriculture sector in the early stages of the project cycle, and supports the inclusion of efforts to reduce such risks in project design activities. Risk is calculated based on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition, taking into account interactions between hazards, exposure and vulnerability, and the adaptive capacity component modulates the scope of the observed and projected risks.
Technology
The CRTB is built around a set of geospatial layers of information detailing different aspects of climate risk to help identify climate risk hotspots in a given location or agricultural system of interest (including crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and biodiversity) in a baseline period, as well as in the future and up to the middle of the century, under low to high emission scenarios. FAO’s Geospatial Platform allows the user to explore the underlying data, and automatically compiles a report summarizing the results of a climate risk screening analysis for any country/territory of interest. The platform further provides integrating tailored recommendations on climate-resilient measures, practices and technologies to target the specific agricultural system.
Target
The tool allows the user (including policymakers, climate funding agencies, project formulators and international development organizations) to screen agricultural investment projects and programmes for potential climate risks.
Business model
The CRTB has been implemented since 2022, supporting the climate risk screening analysis of FAO projects funded under the Global Environmental Facility as an open-access resource hosted on the Hand-in-Hand geospatial platform. Since June 2023, the CRTB has supported compliance with FAO’s guidelines on climate change and disaster risk reduction as part of FAO’s new Framework for Environmental and Social Management (FESM), and is applied automatically at the project identification stage for the climate risk classification of any FAO project.
Impact
Around 190 projects have undergone screening around the world since 2020, including 15 FAO projects funded by the Global Environmental Facility in Europe and Central Asia, identified as low to moderate risk (as of July 2024). The screenings have been carried out primarily for projects in Türkiye, Uzbekistan, the Republic of Moldova, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, with focus on biodiversity conservation, sustainable fisheries, water management and food systems. The CRTB is a first-step tool for the baseline identification of climate risks at the earliest stages of a project and programme. Those identified as high or very high risk will be recommended for a more detailed assessment of the climate change data and the impacts on the agricultural sector, for example during project formulation or implementation, using more advanced tools, methods and climate services.
Four Betters
Better environment
Better life
