The signing of the Paris Climate Agreement today, on Earth Day, represents a global consensus that climate change has, and will continue, to fundamentally alter our natural systems and challenge our way of life unless we take collective and measured steps towards a carbon neutral path. Significantly, it comes on the heels of another monumental international agreement…
Climate change makes life even harder for subsistence farmers and marginal populations. In the development field, we need to learn how to address tangible problems that block adoption of improved mechanisms. USAID’s Climate Change Adaptation Activity (CCAA) in Mali — a two-year intervention in the Mopti Region — has such an opportunity. In conjunction with…
Although the causes of climate change and the roles various nations must play in fighting it have been hotly debated, data provide solid evidence that our planet is facing significant climate challenges that impact our livelihoods, our well-being, and even our very lives. Addressing climate change requires a two-fold strategy: mitigation to deal with carbon…
Before COP 21 kicked off in Paris, heads of state from 20 countries who make up the Climate Vulnerable Forum adopted the Manila-Paris Declaration, which outlined concerns, priorities and plans for addressing climate change. The declaration enumerated how the threats we see in the news everyday — rising sea levels, cyclones, drought, and others —…
We are at a pivotal moment in the movement to combat climate change. Extreme weather events are becoming more commonplace, and the health consequences connected to rising temperatures and worsening air quality are affecting communities around the world. And although it might not be easily observable, climate change is having a dramatic economic impact as…
The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) is the lead institution in the Indonesian government for promoting sustainable fisheries as well as managing coastal areas and promoting the welfare of coastal communities. USAID has played a significant role in supporting MMAF’s establishment and capacity building to fulfill its diverse mandate. In late 2010, USAID…
With assistance from USAID’s Coastal City Adaptation Project (CCAP), two Mozambican cities are committing to taking proactive steps to adapt to climate change and pre- vent devastating ecological effects. CCAP is targeting Pemba and Quelimane to shift from a reactive to an adaptive approach. In Quelimane, municipal government leaders and the community work side by side to…
Over the past several years climate change has garnered increased attention around the globe, as everyone from farmers to politicians seek out ways to mitigate both the causes and effects of increased climate variability. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect this increased attention in SDG 13, which calls for urgent action to combat climate change…
I will always be impressed as to how 4,000 inhabitants established their community on Hinnavaru—a paragon of desert islands in the Maldives. Hot sand, dust, and scarce vegetation combine to provide scant shade beneath the unrelenting equatorial sun. Somehow, every single vista on this island is overwhelmed by the Indian Ocean. On a recent visit,…
Some people still talk about climate change as if it is a future threat, rather than something we are facing now. Is this a challenge in your work in Mozambique? We deal with this every day—there is this absence of urgency about what’s going on. There’s still a confusion about disaster risk reduction and climate…