Global Climate News

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is hosting a webinar on November 11, 2025, to showcase WEFE Nexus innovations and approaches for scaling across regions and sectors. - **Event details and purpose:** The webinar titled **"WEFE Nexus policy webinar 5 - Scaling for impact: Integrating WEFE Nexus innovations across regions and sectors"** will present **innovative approaches** and **practical examples** of Nexus implementation in **transboundary** and **water-scarce** contexts, aiming to foster **cross-regional learning**, strengthen **multi-stakeholder collaboration**, and identify opportunities to **scale successful models**. - **Logistics and agenda:** - **Date:** November 11, 2025 - **Time:** 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm (UTC+05:00) - **Location/Registration:** Online (register via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zD97__cXRoaDAG1-pmEnfA) - **Agenda/Subject:** Nexus implementation approaches in transboundary and water-scarce settings; cross-regional learning and scaling pathways for sustainable resource management.

The Government of Canada announced Budget 2025’s Build Communities Strong Fund investments and highlighted a previously announced $27.9-million investment in the Lively‑Walden Wastewater System in Sudbury. - **Main announcement:** The Budget 2025 **Build Communities Strong Fund** will **invest $51 billion over 10 years**, followed by **$3 billion per year ongoing**, with streams including a **$17.2 billion provincial/territorial stream (10 years)**, a **$6 billion direct delivery stream**, and a **$27.8 billion community stream**; the release also reiterates the **$27.9-million** Lively‑Walden Wastewater System project that is expected to **enable 3,300 new homes** in the City of Greater Sudbury. - **Background and conditions:** The provincial/territorial stream requires **cost-matching by provinces and territories** and includes **$5 billion over three years** for a new **Health Infrastructure Fund**; project funding is **subject to signing a contribution agreement** and federal funding is conditional on **consultation with Indigenous Peoples**.

The Government of Canada announced Budget 2025's Build Communities Strong Fund to deliver major, multi‑stream infrastructure investments to strengthen local hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, water systems and community spaces. - **Main announcement:** The Build Communities Strong Fund will **invest $51 billion over 10 years**, followed by **$3 billion per year ongoing**, delivered through three streams: a **$17.2 billion provincial and territorial stream (10 years)** with a **$5 billion Health Infrastructure Fund over 3 years**, a **$6 billion direct delivery stream** for regionally significant projects (including **clean-energy generation and storage, flood protection, large retrofits**) and a **$27.8 billion community stream** for local roads, bridges, water systems and community centres. - **Background and additional details:** Budget 2025 aims to **enable $1 trillion in investments over the next five years**, includes an initial **$60 billion in savings over five years**, plans to catalyze **$500 billion of new investment**, references the **Major Projects Office, Build Canada Homes and the Defence Investment Agency**, and notes a prior **$15 million (March 2025)** federal contribution for a Montréal‑Nord sports centre.

The Honourable David McGuinty hosted an event in Orléans to highlight Budget 2025 investments under the Build Communities Strong Fund, including proposed funding for the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex. - **Main announcement:** Budget 2025 proposes the **Build Communities Strong Fund** to **invest $51 billion over 10 years** plus **$3 billion/year ongoing**, including a **$6 billion direct delivery stream**, a **$17.2 billion provincial and territorial stream (10 years)** with **$5 billion over 3 years** for a new **Health Infrastructure Fund**, and **$27.8 billion** for a community stream to support **local roads, bridges, water systems, and community centres**. The event was held **November 8, 2025** at the **Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex, Orléans** (hosted by David McGuinty, Marie-France Lalonde, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe). - **Background and program details:** The direct delivery stream covers **regionally significant projects, large building retrofits, climate adaptation, clean-energy generation and storage, and flood protection**; provinces/territories must **cost match** federal investments and reduce development charges. The Budget also references an initial **$60 billion in savings over five years** and aims to catalyze **$500 billion** of new investment into Canada over the next five years.

The Government of Canada announced Budget 2025 investments and highlighted a $16.1-million federal contribution to the Avonlough Sanitary Pumping Station in Belleville. - **Main announcement/action:** The federal government is highlighting **Budget 2025** investments in Belleville, including a **$16.1-million** investment (originally announced March 2025) in the **Avonlough Sanitary Pumping Station** funded through the **Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund** to construct a new pumping station, force main, and gravity and pressure sewers to service **approximately 9,000 new residential units** in the City of Belleville's west end. - **Background and program details:** Budget 2025 establishes the **Build Communities Strong Fund** to **invest $51 billion over 10 years, followed by $3 billion per year ongoing**; program streams include a **provincial and territorial stream ($17.2 billion over 10 years)** with a **$5 billion Health Infrastructure Fund over three years**, a **direct delivery stream ($6 billion)** for regionally significant projects (including **clean-energy generation and storage, flood protection, large retrofits**), and a **community stream ($27.8 billion)** for local roads, bridges, water systems; provinces/territories must **cost match federal investments** and ensure measures to reduce development charges. Additional referenced initiatives: **Major Projects Office**, **Build Canada Homes**, and **Defence Investment Agency**. The release also cites broader fiscal figures: a plan to enable **$1 trillion in investments over the next five years**, **$60 billion in initial savings over five years**, and an expected catalysis of **$500 billion of new investment** over five years.

The Government of Canada announces Budget 2025 measures to build communities strong, highlighting the Build Communities Strong Fund and related infrastructure investments. - **Main announcement:** The Government will establish the **Build Communities Strong Fund** to **invest $51 billion over 10 years, followed by $3 billion per year ongoing**, with streams including a **$17.2 billion provincial and territorial stream (10 years)**, a **$6 billion direct delivery stream**, and a **$27.8 billion community stream**; from the provincial/territorial stream **$5 billion over three years** is dedicated to a new **Health Infrastructure Fund**. The Budget also proposes **up to $7.9 million** in support for **Espace Hubert-Reeves**, a carbon-neutral scientific interpretation centre in La Malbaie. - **Background and implementation details:** Budget 2025 frames these investments as part of a broader nation-building agenda including the **Major Projects Office**, **Build Canada Homes**, and the **Defence Investment Agency**; the Budget includes an initial **$60 billion in savings over five years** and aims to catalyze **$500 billion of new investment into Canada over the next five years**.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc highlighted Budget 2025’s investments to support infrastructure projects and local communities through the Build Communities Strong Fund. - **Main announcement:** The Build Communities Strong Fund will **invest $51 billion over 10 years, followed by $3 billion per year ongoing** to revitalize local infrastructure; as part of Budget 2025 the community of **Beaurivage, New Brunswick will receive up to $300,000** to build Place Marcel-François-Richard, and **National Acadian Holiday celebrations will receive $4 million over four years** to strengthen participation and community identity. - **Program details and timelines:** The fund includes a **provincial and territorial stream** providing **$17.2 billion over 10 years** (including **$5 billion over three years** for a new **Health Infrastructure Fund**), a **direct delivery stream** with **$6 billion** for regionally significant projects (including **clean-energy generation and storage, flood protection,** and major retrofits), and a **community stream** of **$27.8 billion** for local roads, bridges, water systems, and community centres.

Parliamentary Secretary Tom Osborne announced the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Breakwater Installation project will receive federal investment from the new Build Communities Strong Fund as part of Budget 2025. - **Main announcement:** The Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Breakwater Installation will **benefit from a federal investment** through the **Build Communities Strong Fund**, announced by **Tom Osborne, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board**; the specific project investment amount was **not specified** in the release. - **Budget context and details:** Budget 2025 is described as an **"investment budget"** that includes **$60 billion in savings and revenues over five years** and aims to enable **$1 trillion in total investments over the next five years**, with priorities including **housing, infrastructure, defence, productivity and competitiveness**.

The preprint presents Flood Radar, an integrated multi-sensor system for near-real-time flood mapping and evacuation planning demonstrated on the Central Texas July 2025 flood. - **Main announcement/action:** Flood Radar fuses C-band Sentinel-1 SAR, L-band UAVSAR and ALOS-2/PALSAR-2, **NASA GPM IMERG** precipitation fields, Copernicus DEM and SRTM, and **OpenStreetMap** infrastructure layers; inputs are standardized (orbit correction, radiometric calibration, speckle filtering, DEM-assisted geocoding) and fed to a pretrained **U-Net/FCN** deep-learning segmentation at **10 m resolution** to classify water/land, produce flood-extent maps, and generate evacuation-route assessments via road passability analysis. Demonstration details: **Central Texas flood, July 2025** (remnants of Tropical Storm Barry, **>508 mm** rain in two days), detected **≈ 9.8 m** Guadalupe River rise and **~740 acres** flooded in Kerr County; operational web interface: **https://evacuation-map-sar.vercel.app/**. - **Background and implementation details:** Hydrodynamic modelling with **HEC-RAS** estimated water depth and flow velocity and identified potential road inundation; authors note limitations including **speckle noise**, **sparse revisit intervals**, and **misclassification in urban environments**. Code/data and processed outputs are publicly available (Flood Radar platform and supplementary presentation), DOI: **https://doi.org/10.31223/X5GJ08**, licensed CC BY 4.0.

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree highlighted Budget 2025’s investments and the Build Communities Strong Fund while meeting with the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA to promote local infrastructure projects. - **Main announcement:** The federal government will establish the **Build Communities Strong Fund** to **invest $51 billion over 10 years, followed by $3 billion per year ongoing**, to revitalize local infrastructure (hospitals, universities/colleges, roads, bridges, water and transit). The Fund includes a **provincial and territorial stream** ($17.2 billion over 10 years), a **direct delivery stream** ($6 billion) for regionally significant projects (including **clean-energy generation and storage**, flood protection, large retrofits), and a **community stream** ($27.8 billion) for local roads, bridges, water systems, and community centres. From the provincial/territorial stream, **$5 billion over three years** is dedicated to a new **Health Infrastructure Fund** for hospitals, emergency rooms, and urgent care centres. - **Background and related details:** Budget 2025 aims to **enable $1 trillion in investments over the next five years** and implements the government's **Comprehensive Expenditure Review**, which includes **$60 billion in savings over five years** and plans to catalyze **$500 billion of new investment into Canada over the next five years**. The release also references the **Major Projects Office**, **Build Canada Homes**, and the **Defence Investment Agency** as complementary nation-building initiatives.

The Solomon Islands Government, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), launched the Planned Relocation Guidelines in 2022. - **Main announcement/action:** The article reports on the implementation and context of the **Planned Relocation Guidelines (2022)** supported by **IOM** to manage community moves from high-risk areas; it highlights **Sikaiana** specifics: population **~300**, area **less than two square kilometres**, located **more than 200 kilometres** from the nearest main island, and the atoll rises **just four metres above sea level**. Seawalls are described as **too costly**, leaving **relocation as the only viable option**. - **Background and other details:** The piece documents daily impacts—**saltwater intrusion**, **contaminated wells**, **flooded gardens**, and **water scarcity**—and notes the issue will be discussed at **UN Climate Conference (COP30)** in Belém, Brazil. - COP30: **location:** Belém, Brazil; **subject/agenda:** threats to small islands and planned relocation measures (as noted in the article).

The Energy Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs has issued a public statement condemning AI-generated fabricated videos accusing reservoir floating solar of harming water quality. - **Main announcement:** The Energy Administration **strongly condemns** the creation and spread of **AI-generated fake videos** alleging that **floating photovoltaics on reservoirs** affect water quality; it cites that **international cases** have shown **no impact on water quality**, that domestic reservoirs are **monitored long-term**, and that **household water is treated at water treatment plants** before delivery. The statement provides a **Water Quality portal** URL (https://www.wra.gov.tw/cl.aspx?n=44994) to improve transparency and public access to monitoring data. - **Background and evidence:** The agency explains solar panels are **solid-state with no liquid electrolytes**, are tested to **IEC international standards** (durability, damp-heat, weathering for >20 years), and notes the **Ministry of the Environment's tests** and domestic **breakage/immersion tests** all **meet water quality standards**. It lists contacts (Spokesperson Chih-Wei Wu and Section Chief Shi-Wei Liao) with phone numbers and emails for further inquiries.

The Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs has issued a clarification condemning AI-generated fake videos that allege floating solar installations on reservoirs harm water quality. - **Main announcement:** The Bureau of Energy **strongly condemns** the production and dissemination of AI-fabricated defamatory videos and **urges the public not to spread unverified content**; official contacts provided: **Deputy Director-General Chih-Wei Wu** (cwwu@moeaea.gov.tw, 02-2775-7750 / 0922-339-410) and **Section Chief Shih-Wei Liao** (swliau@moeaea.gov.tw, 02-2775-7620 / 0920-091-081). - **Background and evidence:** Cites **international experience and multi-country monitoring** showing **surface-type floating photovoltaic does not affect water quality**; references include the Ministry of Environment's tests and an official **Water Resources Agency "Reservoir Water Quality" portal** at https://www.wra.gov.tw/cl.aspx?n=44994. The statement notes **solar panels are solid-state, IEC-certified, and contain no liquid electrolytes**, and domestic break-and-soak tests reported water quality remained within standards.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) granted a 10-year marine licence to Premier Marinas for maintenance dredging of Brighton Marina with disposal at the Rottingdean/Beachy Head West site and later notified it would not defend a judicial review brought by Sussex Wildlife Trust. - **Main announcement:** The MMO **determined** to grant a marine licence (MLA/2024/00394) to **Premier Marinas** for maintenance dredging of **Brighton Marina** with works licensed **June 2025 to May 2035**, permitting up to **78,000 m3 per campaign**, dredge depth **2 m bcd**, and **1,000,000 wet tonnes** to be deposited at the Brighton/Rottingdean disposal site; the licence was **granted with conditions** and is available on the public register. - **Background & process:** The MMO carried out statutory assessments (MCZ Stage 1, Marine Planning Policy, Water Framework, Waste Regulations), concluded **no EIA required under Schedules A1/A2**, consulted bodies including **Natural England, Environment Agency, Cefas, Historic England, RSPB**, ran a public consultation (30 Aug–27 Sep 2024; advertised in **Brighton Argus**), requested further information from the applicant (documents provided 26 Nov 2024), and subsequently **notified the judge of its intention not to defend** the judicial review on a point raised by **Sussex Wildlife Trust** regarding consideration of avoidance/minimisation/mitigation of impacts on marine protected areas.

The Ministry of Environment announced the inaugural "Sustainable Futures Award" in partnership with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TCA) and presented the award at the 2025 TCCF PITCHING ceremony; the Thai documentary "Up to the Buffalo" won the first prize on 2025-11-07. - **Main announcement:** The **Ministry of Environment (Taiwan)** and **Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TCA)** established the **"Sustainable Futures Award"** to encourage original content centered on **climate action, sustainable development, environmental justice, and net-zero transition**; the award was presented at the **2025 TCCF PITCHING** event on **2025-11-07**, and the **Thai documentary "Up to the Buffalo"** was named the inaugural winner. - **Background & follow-up:** The ministry emphasized that environmental work contains many personal and moving stories that require **professional cultural and media practitioners** to communicate policy and values; the ministry said it will **continue collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and TCA** to invite creators and investors to produce and distribute climate and sustainability content. Event details: - Date: 2025-11-07 - Time: not specified - Location: Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TCA) venue - Agenda/subject: 2025 TCCF PITCHING awards and presentation of the inaugural "Sustainable Futures Award" for documentary work focused on environmental sustainability

FAO, in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and financiers including the EU, AfDB and AFC, is scaling climate-smart and digital agricultural innovations across Zimbabwe. - **Main action:** FAO and partners are deploying **solar-powered irrigation with sand-abstraction** to enable year-round production, implementing the **Digital Villages initiative** (providing digital identities, geo-referenced advisory services, mobile market platforms, and **AI-enabled crop insights**), and rolling out a **digital loan management / e-voucher platform** with AFC to channel inputs and track loans. Over **5,000 farmers** have received digital literacy/services; the Seed Revolving Fund supported cultivation of **over 17,000 hectares of winter wheat** and **72,000 hectares of maize**. EOSTAT (satellite analytics) delivers **>80% accuracy** in crop/yield estimates and trains specialists from the Zimbabwe Space Agency and National University of Science and Technology. - **Background and supporting details:** Implementation is backed by funding/technical support from the **European Union**, **Fleming Fund**, **AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund**, **AfDB**, and **AFC**, and includes rehabilitation of **14 sentinel laboratories** for AMR surveillance; the e-voucher and loan management systems are active for real-time tracking of disbursement, repayment and input utilization. Key named practitioners include David Ndou (Sivuli irrigation scheme), Sheyi Kahushe (lead farmer), Hillary Mugiyo (Early Warning Specialist), and Tendai Munyokoveri (Assistant FAO Representative – Programmes).

The Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Hon. Seiso Mohai, will lead a two-day oversight monitoring visit to Limpopo Province from 11–12 November 2025 to assess progress at the Giyani Water Project and the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ). - **Oversight visit details and primary action:** The visit is led by **Hon. Seiso Mohai (Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation)** to evaluate the **revitalisation of water infrastructure** at the Giyani Water Project, including the **upgrade of the Giyani Water Treatment Works** to improve access to potable water for **55 villages** and **more than 122,000 households**, and to review progress at the **Musina Makhado SEZ (MMSEZ)**, a flagship industrial development aimed at attracting investment and promoting **green manufacturing**. - **Context, alignment and contacts:** This oversight forms part of **DPME's mandate** for evidence-based monitoring and evaluation, aligned to the **MTDP 2024–2029** and **NDP 2030**; for media and enquiries contact details are provided below. - Day 1: **11 November 2025** — Venue: **Giyani Water Project, Limpopo**; Time: **09h30–15h00**; Agenda: assess progress on Giyani Water Treatment Works upgrades and access to potable water. - Day 2: **12 November 2025** — Venue: **Musina Makhado SEZ, Limpopo**; Time: **09h30–13h30**; Agenda: review MMSEZ development, investment and green manufacturing initiatives. - Media RSVP: **Alucia Sekgathume**, 082 689 2364, Alucia@dpme.gov.za - Enquiries: **Thomas Nkosi**, Chief director: strategy and communications, 079 907 9016, TomNkosi@dpme.gov.za