Development actors have an important role to play in supporting vulnerable people in their efforts to adapt to climate change. To do this, government and civil society organisations working with vulnerable communities must have capacity to analyze climate risks, identify appropriate adaptation responses and to plan and implement these responses. This is accomplished either through targeted adaptation initiatives or by integrating adaptation into development policies and programmes.

CARE is committed to providing its staff and local partners with the tools and knowledge they need to do this effectively. We are developing, testing and applying tools--such as our Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) tool and the Climate Risk Screening Tool - Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL)--to strengthen our work on adaptation.

Training on concepts and practical tools for adaptation for CARE staff and partners is an important element of our capacity building strategy. Our training events have built the capacity of CARE and partner staff from more than a dozen countries around the world. Many of these workshops have been held in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, who have provided invaluable expertise on vulnerability and adaptation, and on the application of the CRiSTAL tool.