CARE promotes integrating adaptation into development initiatives Print E-mail

Link to: Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation: A Practioner's Handbook

 

 

3_wrk_wk_bangladeshwm

@CAREBangladesh

 

Climate change impacts can seriously affect development results, in some cases completely reversing any gains that have been made. At the same time, development projects can make a signification contribution to the adaptive capacity of target populations - if they are designed taking climate change into account.

 

To increase the sustainability and impact of our poverty reduction programming, CARE is beginning to systematically integrate climate change adaptation into our work. We are focusing on sectors that are particularly sensitive to climate change, such as water, agriculture, livelihoods and health.


CARE's approach to ‘integrating adaptation' is defined by a process of CARE staff, partners and/or community members considering climate risks to development projects, and adjusting project activities and approaches to address these risks.


Integrating adaptation can achieve two main objectives:


  • Reducing the risks posed by climate change to project activities, stakeholders and results. This is sometimes referred to as ‘climate-proofing.'
  • Ensuring that project or programme activities maximize their contribution to the adaptive capacity of those we work with - and do not inadvertently increase vulnerability to climate change -- through interventions designed to build resilience while achieving development goals.*


‘Climate-proofing' is primarily concerned with protecting development investments and outcomes from the impacts of climate change. It increases the sustainability of projects by analyzing the risks posed by climate change to project activities, stakeholders and results. It then modifies and/or adjusts project designs or implementation plans to reduce those risks.


The second objective of integrating adaptation recognizes that development activities that seek to reduce poverty can either build the adaptive capacity of the people we work with to climate impacts, or inadvertently constrain it. Thus, by analyzing vulnerability of these groups to climate change and adjusting project activities to maximize their contribution to resilience, the impact of development projects can be significantly increased.


Recognizing the importance of integrating adaptation for the sustainability and impact of our work, CARE is collaborating with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to develop a Toolkit for Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Projects. The draft Toolkit is currently being tested in a number of projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and it is planned for release in early 2010.


*Klein, R.J.T. et al. 2007. Portfolio Screening to Support the Mainstreaming of Adaptation to Climate Change into Development Assistance. Tyndall Centre Working Paper 102. Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich.