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Developing Country Actions

Achieving sustainable development in a changing climate

Climate change has the potential to significantly influence the probability of developing countries breaking out of poverty and achieving their sustainable development objectives. It will influence the process by which they achieve industrialization and present new obstacles as changing weather patterns impact key economic sectors such as infrastructure and agriculture.

Like all other countries, low- and middle-income countries will need to progressively transition to a low-carbon pathway to development if the global community is to reduce the release of greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to avoid catastrophic climate change. This transition will be particularly challenging for developing countries because of their desire to rapidly increase energy production—both to expand their industrial and manufacturing sectors and to meet the needs of the estimated two billion people who currently rely on traditional biomass for cooking and do not have access to electricity.

At the same time, developing countries, particularly the least developed countries and small island developing states, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The current economic, demographic, political and environmental conditions in many developing countries weaken their capacity to cope and adapt to the projected consequences of climate change. Overcoming this vulnerability will require the integration of climate change considerations into development processes that strengthen economic systems, enhance the robustness of ecosystems, promote equitable social relations and enable effective governance structures.

Working with national and local governments, multilateral organizations, research institutes and non-governmental organizations, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is identifying means by which developing countries can make the transition to a low-carbon development pathway by improving trade and investment systems, strengthening market mechanisms for climate protection, and improving the management of forest and agricultural lands. At the same time, through our work in the area of adaptation and risk reduction, the institute is working with developing-country partners to develop methods and tools needed to strengthen their capacity to address the impacts of climate change.

Related IISD Research

• Cross-cutting Issues: Trade and Climate Change
  Current and emerging trade policies could either help or hinder the ability of developing countries to achieve their climate goals. As well, a number of climate change measures could have negative trade impacts. IISD's work on trade and climate change seeks to understand the relationship between these two policy arenas and map out ways to exploit synergies and avoid conflicts where possible.

• Climate Change and Security
  Climate change could affect political and economic stability in many developing countries, and IISD is developing effective ways to address emerging problems.

• Building REDD Capacity in Developing Countries
  Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD) is expected to be an important element of the future international climate change regime. IISD, in partnership with the World Agroforestry Centre, is bringing together developing-country negotiators and stakeholders to increase capacity to understand the REDD negotiations and lay the technical and policy foundations for better REDD programs.

• Climate Change and Agriculture
  The agricultural sector has the potential to play a critical role in both climate mitigation and adaptation, particularly in developing countries. IISD is examining how this potential can be maximized through effective inclusion of agriculture in a post-2012 regime.

• Fostering Adaptation in Eastern and Southern Africa
  Working with partners in Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda, IISD is striving to reduce the vulnerability of communities to the impacts of climate change and promote the integration of climate change into selected policies.

• CRiSTAL Project Management Tool
  The project management tool CRiSTAL (Community-Based Risk Screening Tool—Adaptation & Livelihoods) enables project planners and managers to assess an intervention's impact on local capacity to cope with climate stress, and to think about how to adjust project activities so that, at the very least, they don't undermine local coping capacity, and where possible, they further enhance it. IISD is working to share this tool with project managers, communities and policy-makers in developing countries.

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