The challengeScientists now overwhelmingly agree that human activity is responsible for changing the climate through generating carbon dioxide emissions. The Stern review has highlighted the scale of the impacts resulting from this climate change, in environmental, social and economic terms.

The negative impacts of climate change will be disproportionately felt in the developing world. This is because vulnerability to climate change is a factor of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity.

Exposure - Developing countries are the most exposed to climate change because they are already warmer, on average, than developed regions, suffer from high rainfall variability, and, endure regular climate extremes given the location of many developing countries in tropical areas.

Sensitivity – Developing countries are heavily dependent on agriculture, the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors, and suffer from inadequate health provision, low-quality public services, and build up of large slum areas. They have poor water-related infrastructure and management and often have inadequate early warning systems for extreme weather conditions.

Adaptive capacity – The low incomes and vulnerabilities of people in developing countries make adaptation to climate change particularly difficult.

The need for adaptation measuresStrong and early action is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change and the risk of triggering abrupt and large-scale changes. But adaptation measures are now also essential since some degree of impacts is now unavoidable. And the scale and cost of adaptation will rise dramatically if insufficient mitigation action is taken.

The Stern Review emphasises that much adaptation will be an extension of good development practice. The international community – both at the government and private sector level - has an important role in facilitating adaptation in developing countries through:

• investment in global public goods, including improved monitoring and prediction of climate change, better modelling of regional impacts, and the development and deployment of drought- and flood-resistant crops
• building public-private partnerships for climate-related insurance
• strengthening mechanisms for improving risk management and preparedness, disaster responses and refugee resettlement.

The best outcomes will arise where adaptation, disaster management and economic development policy are all integrated.

Find out about the role for private sector finance here.

For additional information contact Alice Chapple at a.chapple@forumforthefuture.org.uk.