In the last years it has been increasingly recognized that climate change will adversely affect development and poverty eradication efforts being made by developing countries. Strengthening resilience through adaptation measures is essential to ensure that development achievements are not compromised or negated by climate change impacts. According to the International Panel for Climate Change, Adaptation should be defined an “adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities”. In order to achieve an optimum result, adaptation measures needs to be integrated properly into national development plans and this implies a significant cost. Hence, the costs and benefits of adaptation need to be built into the policy and planning processes of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and supported in local community practices. LDC policy-makers and negotiators need a significant amount of data to make substantive arguments to guide appropriate domestic policy-making. But there is a well-known lack of data on LDCs climate change adaptation.

Speaker: Saleemul Huq, senior fellow of the Climate Change Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) will tackle the topic of adaptation measures and best practices in LDCs providing examples and ways forward on how they can mainstream adaptation to climate change in their ongoing national development priorities.

Introduced by Carlo Carraro – Director, International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) – President, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice