Understanding the climate and net-zero transition risks and opportunities in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is already experiencing climate change impacts. Climate change projections for the 2050s indicate seasonal and annual shifts in both temperatures and precipitation, as well as increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme events that will affect the country's energy systems. Melting glaciers and snowpack could impact the generation capacity of large-scale hydropower in some river basins.Climate risks to energy infrastructure result from the combination of vulnerability, exposure and shifts in the frequency, intensity, duration and location of climate hazards. Climate risks have to be considered not only to individual infrastructure, but also for the energy system as a whole

Understanding the climate and net-zero transition risks and opportunities in Uzbekistan

Renewable energy potential remains untapped in Uzbekistan and it could be utilised to ensure energy mix diversification and a sustainable energy supply. Uzbekistan has the highest potential for solar energy when compared to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with some 80% of the country suitable for solar PV outputs of 1,400 to 1,600 kWh/kWp/year.The transition to renewable energy could make both public and private markets accessible to investors in Uzbekistan. An increased RE share in the energy mix can significantly increase Uzbekistan's generation capacities. Transition also presents an opportunity to integrate renewables and energy efficiency goals that could have a mutually advantageous impact on policy development to address climate change. A combined portfolio of renewables and energy efficiency technologies could reduce emissions by one-third to one-half

Understanding the climate and net-zero transition risks and opportunities in Tajikistan

Tajikistan is already experiencing climate change impacts. Climate change projections for the 2050s indicate seasonal and annual shifts in both temperatures and precipitation, as well as increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme events that will affect the country's energy systems. Melting glaciers and snowpack could impact the generation capacity of large-scale hydropower along some river reaches

Building forward better: A pathway to climate-resilient development in fragile and conflict-affected situations

People living in places affected by fragility and/or violent conflict are among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change. In these situations, a natural hazard – such as a flood or a drought – can quickly trigger disasters and exacerbate protracted crises.Individuals themselves cannot meaningfully be expected to adapt to climate change. What is needed is for actors in conflict-affected countries to work together to address the drivers of fragility, and enable peace, stability and systemic resilience – so that people have more options to manage challenges and embrace opportunities. We call this Building Forward Better.Building Forward Better will require a transformation in the way humanitarian, development, peacebuilding, disaster risk management and climate adaptation actors work in fragile and conflict-affected settings. This Framing note argues for a new way of thinking about and delivering the climate agenda in fragile and conflict-affected situations: one in which programmes and investments by all actors are linked, layered and sequenced in such a way that they mutually reinforce and support each other, and are informed by a clear understanding of the drivers of conflict and climate risks

Climate change, conflict and fragility : information and analysis to support programme design scoping for the climate and resilience framework programme (CLARE)

This in-depth paper provides important resource links and references regarding approaches to ensuring that climate change programming and policies in fragile and conflict-affected contexts do not exacerbate conflict. It examines evidence gaps in addition to what is known, from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including disaster risk reduction (DRR), conflict sensitivity, climate adaptation and conflict and humanitarian research and programmes. Regarding funding, design and delivery of programmes, programming for uncertainty (in relation to both conflict dynamics and climate change) should be built into the funding set-up. Proper climate analysis, including attribution and sensitivity analysis, continues to be lacking in many climate-conflict studies.UK Department for International Development (DFID

Duration of androgen deprivation therapy with postoperative radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a comparison of long-course versus short-course androgen deprivation therapy in the RADICALS-HD randomised trial

Background Previous evidence supports androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with primary radiotherapy as initial treatment for intermediate-risk and high-risk localised prostate cancer. However, the use and optimal duration of ADT with postoperative radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy remains uncertain. Methods RADICALS-HD was a randomised controlled trial of ADT duration within the RADICALS protocol. Here, we report on the comparison of short-course versus long-course ADT. Key eligibility criteria were indication for radiotherapy after previous radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, prostate-specific antigen less than 5 ng/mL, absence of metastatic disease, and written consent. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to add 6 months of ADT (short-course ADT) or 24 months of ADT (long-course ADT) to radiotherapy, using subcutaneous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (monthly in the short-course ADT group and 3-monthly in the long-course ADT group), daily oral bicalutamide monotherapy 150 mg, or monthly subcutaneous degarelix. Randomisation was done centrally through minimisation with a random element, stratified by Gleason score, positive margins, radiotherapy timing, planned radiotherapy schedule, and planned type of ADT, in a computerised system. The allocated treatment was not masked. The primary outcome measure was metastasis-free survival, defined as metastasis arising from prostate cancer or death from any cause. The comparison had more than 80% power with two-sided α of 5% to detect an absolute increase in 10-year metastasis-free survival from 75% to 81% (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72). Standard time-to-event analyses were used. Analyses followed intention-to-treat principle. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN40814031, and ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00541047 . Findings Between Jan 30, 2008, and July 7, 2015, 1523 patients (median age 65 years, IQR 60–69) were randomly assigned to receive short-course ADT (n=761) or long-course ADT (n=762) in addition to postoperative radiotherapy at 138 centres in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. With a median follow-up of 8·9 years (7·0–10·0), 313 metastasis-free survival events were reported overall (174 in the short-course ADT group and 139 in the long-course ADT group; HR 0·773 [95% CI 0·612–0·975]; p=0·029). 10-year metastasis-free survival was 71·9% (95% CI 67·6–75·7) in the short-course ADT group and 78·1% (74·2–81·5) in the long-course ADT group. Toxicity of grade 3 or higher was reported for 105 (14%) of 753 participants in the short-course ADT group and 142 (19%) of 757 participants in the long-course ADT group (p=0·025), with no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Compared with adding 6 months of ADT, adding 24 months of ADT improved metastasis-free survival in people receiving postoperative radiotherapy. For individuals who can accept the additional duration of adverse effects, long-course ADT should be offered with postoperative radiotherapy. Funding Cancer Research UK, UK Research and Innovation (formerly Medical Research Council), and Canadian Cancer Society