Integrating Climate 

Change into Development

November 2008

Ana Paula Paiva, USAID/Brazil
Mohammad Shahidul Islam, USAID/Bangladesh Mohammad Shahidul Islam, USAID/Bangladesh

Reverie Zurba, USAID Jeff Haeni, USAID Teresa Leonardo, USAIDLaura Lartigue
A Complex Challenge

Climate change is one of the great 

global challenges of our time, affecting 

each and every nation. Melting glaciers 

are changing water supply patterns, with 

random floods in the near term leading 

to water shortages for downstream 

communities. Rising sea levels will 

increase storm damages and could 

inundate Small Island Developing 

States. Changes in rainfall patterns 

and amounts will aggravate water and 

food insecurity in Africa. These are just 

some of the impacts of climate change 

that scientists expect to take place 

in the developing world. Moreover, 

when one considers that three-quarters 

of the world’s poorest citizens, those 

living on less than $2 per day, are 

dependent on the environment for a 

significant part of their daily livelihoods, 

climate change presents a serious, 

multifaceted development challenge.

Multiple Solutions

USAID sees climate change and 

development as inextricably linked. 

Since 1991, USAID’s Global Climate 

Change Program has implemented 

“win-win” solutions that provide 

climate-related benefits while 

meeting sustainable development 

objectives. These solutions include: 

•	 reducing growth in greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions 

through clean energy 

•	 reducing deforestation and

improving land management

•	 strengthening the ability of

developing and transition countries 

to respond to the challenges posed 

by climate-related impacts and risks

Amrit Bart, AITUSAID

Laura Lartigue USAID International Resources group
In the developing world, 1.6 billion 

people lack access to modern energy 

services such as electricity, more than 2 

billion people rely on traditional fuels for 

cooking, and energy demand is expected 

to increase by more than 50 percent by 

2020. As energy consumption grows, 

greenhouse gas emissions will grow 

as well. There is broad international 

consensus that climate change is best 

addressed as part of an integrated 

agenda that promotes economic growth, 

advances energy security, reduces 

pollution, and eradicates poverty – 

as well as mitigates greenhouse gas 

emissions. Adoption of modern 

energy technologies can enable new 

opportunities for competition, choice, 

and accountability. However, energy 

is a capital and information intensive 

business, and adoption of technology 

can only be accomplished as part of a 

broader effort to improve governance, 

regulation, and management of service 

providers in developing countries. 

To minimize their associated growth 

in greenhouse gas emissions while 

helping countries develop their 

economies, USAID targets climate 

friendly interventions in the energy 

sector through investments in the 

energy, industry, and urban areas. For 

example, in Mexico, USAID has been 

a leader in clean energy development 

efforts, including technology transfer, 

for over 15 years. USAID’s energy 

program has catalyzed sustainable 

efforts, with pilots replicated at a larger 

scale by Mexican institutions, which 

serve as models for other international 

organizations. Small-scale renewable 

energy applications, including solar 

and wind water pumps for off-grid 

farm use, have been actively promoted 

through USAID. Private sector 

companies have been trained to design 

and install better energy systems and to 

provide better maintenance services.

USAID’s approach to emissions reduction 

is to develop markets in developing 

countries that enable the commercially 

sustainable transfer of clean technology. 

Strengthening markets will enable 

technologies to take root where the market 

conditions are favorable, thus ensuring 

economic sustainability. Technologies 

will be transferred through private 

investment where there is economic 

opportunity as evident in the form of 

effective legal/regulatory frameworks, 

functioning commercial markets, and 

prices that cover the use of service.

USAID also adopts a holistic approach, 

focusing on the policy and regulatory 

framework, furthering sector and 

commercial reforms, institutional 

development, innovative business and 

financing modalities, public-private 

partnerships, and training. In Brazil, 

USAID’s “Productive Energy” (or 

Energia Productiva) Program focused 

on the use of appropriate renewable 

and solar energy systems to facilitate 

community economic development. 

USAID supported a consortium of 

eight non-governmental partners, which 

promoted the use of sustainable and 

clean energy technologies in North and 

Northeast Brazil. Training initiatives 

and information dissemination reached 

more than 60,000 beneficiaries, 

while direct income-generating and 

improved quality-of-life interventions 

reached over 8,000 people.

Addressing Climate Change by Reducing the Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Getty Images Bobby Ocampo, Puerto Princesa City

USAIDWinrock International
ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program

As the world’s most populous region, Asia continues to experience 

unprecedented rates of economic growth. As a result, the region’s energy, 

industrial, forestry, agricultural, and transport sectors must undergo significant 

transformation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the international 

community is realistically expected to reach emissions stabilization in 

the coming decades. Recognizing these challenges and opportunities, 

USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDM/A) launched the 

Environmental Cooperation-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program 

(ECO-Asia CDCP), which seeks to promote market transformation for 

increased investment in clean energy technologies and practices that mitigate 

greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting improved economic productivity, 

air quality, and energy security. ECO-Asia CDCP works in China, Indonesia, 

Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as in India in four primary areas: 

•	 Improving the efficiency of coal power generation

through cleaner coal technology and practices

•	 Increasing the use of high quality energy efficient lighting

by harmonizing product quality and testing standards

•	 Facilitating increased financing for clean energy by promoting

international best practices in energy efficiency procurements

•	 Regional knowledge sharing to build capacity and replicate best practices

Getty Images

ITDPITDPNexant, Inc.

USAID/India
Congo Basin Forest 

Partnership

The Congo Basin Forest 

Partnership (CBFP), which 

includes more than 35 

governments, international 

organizations, private sector 

and civil society representatives, 

is working to strengthen the 

sustainable management of the 

world’s second largest tropical 

forest. The partnership promotes 

economic development, poverty 

alleviation, and improved local 

governance through natural 

resource management across 

13 landscapes in six Central 

African countries. USAID has 

invested over $100 million since 

2002 to targeted conservation 

programs as part of the Congo 

Basin Forest Partnership.

Approximately 30 percent of the Earth’s 

land surface is covered by forests, 

which provide critical ecosystem goods 

and services, including food, fodder, 

medicines, water, shelter, nutrient 

cycling, and cultural and recreational 

value. In addition, forests also store 

carbon, provide habitat for a wide 

range of species, and help alleviate land 

degradation and desertification. The 

rapid destruction of tropical forests is of 

great concern to many people globally. 

Slash-and-burn agriculture, forest 

clearing for cattle ranchers and new 

settlements, and unsustainable logging 

practices all contribute to the challenge 

of climate change. Yet, forests are 

profoundly affected by climate change 

along with development pressures, such 

as increasing damage to forest health 

caused by proliferation of fire, pests, and 

diseases. Moreover, climate change has 

the potential to significantly undermine 

efforts at addressing future food security 

and the sustainable management 

of agricultural land through higher 

temperatures, more frequent and more 

severe extreme events, and changes in 

the distribution and timing of rainfall.

Some 20 percent of global greenhouse 

gas emissions come from tropical 

deforestation, and its reduction represents 

a significant mitigation opportunity in 

addition to the multiple benefits from 

conserving tropical forests. As part of its 

broader economic development goals, 

USAID seeks to reduce deforestation, 

increase sequestration, and enhance 

sustainable forest management, all 

of which help to mitigate climate 

change. These programs also help 

local communities to be resilient to 

climate variability and change, while 

providing for sustainable livelihoods. 

Indonesia’s forests rank among the 

largest and most biologically diverse 

in the world. Deforestation is the 

country’s largest source of emissions, 

Addressing Climate Change by Reducing Deforestation and Improving Land Management 

Philippe Berry, IFPRI

Ana Paula Paiva, USAID/BrazilMichel Gunther, WWF-CanonHolly Wilmeth, H.W. Photography
Applying Space-Based Assets to Development Assistance

For a number of years, USAID and NASA have been collaborating on a 

project to develop tools that apply space-based observations to development 

assistance. SERVIR is a U.S. led high-tech regional satellite visualization and 

monitoring system for Central America that supports decision-making in the 

areas of climate change adaptation, environmental management, and early 

warning for disasters, among others, providing historical data, information on 

current environmental and weather conditions, forecasts, and future scenarios. 

In operation since 2005, SERVIR consists of a regional hub in Central 

America and a suite of web-based tools, providing public access to information 

products in a variety of formats, tailored to a range of decision makers, from 

scientists to the general public. Products available via SERVIR include a high 

resolution climate change scenario database, climate change maps indicating 

impacts on Central America’s biodiversity, a fire/smoke mapping and warning 

system, red tide alerts, and weather alerts. The SERVIR regional hub has 

enabled the training and capacity building of hundreds of Central American 

scientists, technicians, and government employees. Based on the successful 

SERVIR program, the U.S. Government is developing regional hubs in Africa 

and beyond to apply remotely sensed information to help track and combat 

wildfires, improve land use and agricultural practices, address climate change 

in development, and help local officials respond faster to natural disasters.

amounting to five times its emissions 

from non-forestry sources. Through 

collaborative efforts, USAID is working 

with Indonesia to provide technical, 

scientific, and financial assistance to help 

the country reduce deforestation and 

promote sustainable forest management.

Similarly in Russia, USAID has 

helped the country combat illegal 

logging by improving sustainable 

forest management through economic 

growth, identifying forestry reform 

issues, and assisting with greater 

civil participation in the forestry 

sector. As a result, USAID’s efforts 

contributed to the development 

of a new Forest Code in Russia.

On a global effort, USAID has 

invested in field research and 

web tool development to enable 

carbon accounting of results of 

the Agency’s forest sector and 

soil conservation programs.

USAID

USAIDGray Tappan, USGS/EROSChris Greacen, Palang Thai
Climate change creates both risks 

and opportunities worldwide. By 

understanding, planning for, and 

adapting to a changing climate, 

individuals and societies can take 

advantage of opportunities and 

reduce risks. Developing countries 

are already vulnerable to current 

climate variability; by increasing the 

resilience of economies to economic 

and environmental changes, we can 

better ensure an end to dependence on 

assistance. Well-governed societies with 

diverse, robust, and open economies are 

inherently more resilient and adaptable 

to changing economic, social, or 

environmental conditions, including 

those related to climate events.

USAID has broadened its climate 

change portfolio to include activities 

aimed at strengthening the ability of 

developing and transition countries 

to respond to the challenges posed 

by climate-related impacts and risks. 

USAID seeks to strengthen the 

capabilities of program managers, 

host-country institutions, project 

implementers, and sectoral experts 

to assess relative vulnerabilities to 

climate change, and to evaluate and 

implement adaptation options for 

agriculture, water, forest, and coastal 

zone management projects within 

USAID’s development assistance 

portfolio. Adapting to climate change 

requires a hierarchy of linked efforts. 

USAID is working to make Earth 

observation information readily 

applicable to development decisions, 

including creating innovative 

applications and appropriate tools to 

then communicate that information 

to stakeholders and decision makers. 

Adaptation actions will vary depending 

upon the sector and location, and 

can include activities ranging from 

improving the use of weather forecasts, 

to changing planting dates or seed 

varieties, to modifying water harvesting 

approaches or key infrastructure. 

USAID has developed several tools 

and programs to help assess adaptation 

options, and is leveraging efforts of 

other U.S. Government agencies.

Addressing Climate Change by Increasing the Resiliency of Vulnerable Populations

Famine Early Warning 

Systems Network

USAID and other U.S. Government 

agencies are collaborating with 

local, regional, and international 

partners to provide early-warning 

and vulnerability information on 

food security and malaria issues, 

including information relating to 

variability and changes in regional 

climate conditions. The Famine 

Early Warning Systems Network 

(FEWS NET) program aims to 

produce high-quality information 

for disaster prediction, and provides 

demand-driven information 

products that pinpoint and assess 

emerging or evolving food security 

problems. Program professionals 

in the United States and Africa 

monitor data and information – 

including remotely sensed as 

well as ground-based data on 

meteorological, crop, and rangeland 

conditions – for early indications of 

potential threats to food security. 

USAID

USAIDUSAIDJohn FuRLOW, USAID
Climate Change Adaptation Guidance Manual

To facilitate the process of adapting development projects, USAID developed 

a Climate Change Adaptation Guidance Manual to provide USAID staff, 

other donor organizations, and developing country planners, with the tools 

to understand how climate change may affect their projects. The manual 

draws on lessons learned in four pilot projects (Honduras, Mali, South 

Africa, and Thailand) that assessed impacts and vulnerability to climate 

variability and change, and developed adaptation implementation plans 

for urban and coastal flooding; municipal water; rainfed agriculture; and 

fisheries and agriculture. These pilot projects and the Guidance Manual are 

helping to improve the resilience and sustainability of USAID’s development 

efforts by integrating climate change adaptation into project planning. The 

Adaptation Guidance Manual provides a stepwise process for evaluation of 

climate change impacts applicable in the field, including a primer on climaterelated risks, a framework for determining if a specific project is vulnerable, 

and guidance on interventions to increase project resilience. Training 

courses for USAID staff and partners are being developed, and have been 

requested by other donors. The Adaptation Guidance Manual is also being 

applied independently for education, training, and project improvement.

Nancy Estes, USAID

Ben Barber, USAID

Sue McIntyre, USAID

Louis Stippel, USAIDLouis Stippel, USAID
Where USAID Works to Address Climate Change

Afghanistan • Albania • Armenia • Asia Region• Bangladesh • Bolivia • Brazil • Caribbean Region • Cambodia •

Central Africa Region • Central America Region • Central Asia Region • China • Democratic Republic of the Congo •

Ecuador • El Salvador • Europe and Eurasia Region • Georgia • Guatemala • Haiti • Honduras • India •

Indonesia • Kazakhstan • Kenya • Kosovo • Kyrgyz Republic • Latin America and Caribbean Region • Liberia •

Macedonia • Madagascar • Malawi • Mexico • Moldova • Mongolia • Mozambique • Nepal • Nicaragua •

Paraguay • Peru • Philippines • Regional Development Mission for Asia • Rwanda • Senegal • South Africa •

South Asia Region • Sudan • Tajikistan • Tanzania • Uganda • Ukraine • West Africa Region

Ana Paula Paiva, USAID/Brazil

USAID Teresa Leonardo, USAID

SELCO
U.S. Commitments to Address Climate 

Change in Development Assistance

As the foreign assistance arm of the U.S. Government, USAID plays 

a key leadership role in delivering climate change related international 

assistance to developing and transition countries through the Agency’s 

Global Climate Change Program. Active in over 40 developing and 

transition countries, USAID commits about $195 million each 

year to support climate change related development activities.

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91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

US$ millions

Fiscal Years

Ana Paula Paiva, USAID/Brazil Karie Atkinson, USAID

Kaukab Jhumra Smith, USAID Ana Paula Paiva, USAID/Brazil Jeff Haeni, USAID Jeff Haeni, USAID

Ricardo Briones, Pescadors de Sanche
U.S. Agency for International Development

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20523

Tel: (202) 712-0000

Fax: (202) 216-3524

Email: climatechange@usaid.gov

www.usaid.gov – keyword: climate change

R. Nyberg