Global Climate Change

Training workers to properly install solar panels at health clinics in Rwanda provides clean energy and creates green jobs.

Walt Ratterman, Sunepi

Global Climate Change is one of the major challenges of this century. Its impact on developing countries is of special concern.

Changes to the climate, such as more frequent and severe storms, floods, and droughts and warmer temperatures, present serious risks to the well-being and livelihoods of millions of poor people—especially those who depend on the land and coastal resources for their living.

At the same time, as developing countries grow their economies, they are emitting more greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to climate change.

USAID works to help countries protect themselves from the dangers of climate change while growing their economies in a way that does not make climate change worse. The Agency has been working in sectors relevant to climate change for decades and our work in this area is shaped by lessons learned.

USAID’s Climate Change and Development Strategy (2012-2016) has three objectives:

1. Invest in clean energy technology and reduce deforestation to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Help countries and communities prepare for and respond to changes in climate. 
3. Make climate change considerations part of all aspects of USAID’s programs and operations.

Since the start of the U.S. Global Climate Change Initiative in 2010, USAID’s progress includes:

• Working with six countries to develop and implement strategies for increasing economic growth with lower emissions.
• Providing 23 countries in Central America, the Himalayan Region of Asia, and East and Southern Africa with early warning systems and other tools to improve water management, agriculture, health and post-disaster recovery.
• Testing best practices for integrating climate change into agriculture, disaster risk reduction, governance, and other development priorities in seven USAID missions.

By 2016, USAID plans to achieve the following results:

• Help 20 partner countries develop and implement strategies for increasing economic growth with lower emissions
• Integrate climate change into food security, global health, democracy, and other development priorities
• Learn the most effective ways to support low emission, climate resilient growth 

See how USAID is Integrating Climate Change into Development.