Exploring Trends in Low-Carbon, Climate-Resilient Development

In recent years, the concept of low-carbon, climate-resilient development (LCCRD) has emerged as a key way of framing policy and action to address climate change, capturing the need for mitigation and adaptation efforts to be fully integrated into development planning and implementation.

This policy paper aims to better understand current shifts towards LCCRD and the trends that are shaping this evolution. It begins by identifying key principles and elements that contribute to current understandings of LCCRD at both the theoretical and practical levels. It then identifies two key drivers— governance and finance—that further define the broad context from which many of these LCCRD strategies are emerging. Finally, the paper analyzes several specific trends in key areas that are influencing LCCRD development, including Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), adaptation monitoring and evaluation, and online knowledge brokering.