Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning

Climate change poses a risk to the development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It affects livelihoods, health, and economic development.

Since climate change has become more of a development issue, there is a need to mainstream climate change adaptation (CCA) into national planning as part of broader policies for development. Development planning should take into account anticipated impacts of climate change particularly on the livelihoods, resilience, and health of the population in poor countries.

Mainstreaming climate change is the iterative process of integrating consideration of climate change adaptation into policy making, budgeting, and implmentation and monitoring processes at national, sectoral, and subnational levels as well as the different key sectors in the development field (UNDP-UNEP 2011).