Integrating Climate Change Adaption

Developing countries are struggling to adapt to Climate Change (CC) while international community commitment to stemming the gas emissions is wavering due to various self-interests. As lack of strong commitment to arresting this phenomenal problem persists, climate change impacts including drought, floods continue to ravage developing countries unabated resulting in food short-ages, increases in vector-borne diseases, infrastructure damage and the degradation of natural resources. This situation is affecting mostly the rural folks who are defenseless with their only hope being governments and organizations that carry out development projects in rural and informal settlements in urban areas.

Climate change adaptation and development have to be addressed in integrated way. Well prepared development practitioners influence planning that their organizations advance leading to greater adaptive capacity of people into the future. Therefore, there is clear relationship between adaptation of climate change, planning and action. However, many development policies, plans and projects currently do not take climate change into account due to a lack of awareness and clarity on how to effectively develop and integrate adaptation options.