What Is It?

Human-induced changes in long-term climatic averages and variability (including climatic extremes such as droughts, severe storms and floods) that are observed and projected for the future.

Climate change is happening and it's happening now. It's not a distant phenomenon that will happen in some unknown future, and it's not only about hotter temperatures. In some parts of the world annual rainfall is expected to undergo long-term decreases; in other regions, fluctuations in rainfall and temperatures for a particular season of plant growth will have a serious impact. In yet other places, the amount of rainfall over the year may stay the same, but it may rain after bigger gaps in time, much harder and for shorter periods, which could mean both increased droughts and increased flooding. The intensity of severe storms such as hurricanes could increase. The potential impacts of climate change are far-flung and varied, and addressing it has become a top priority for today's global development agenda.

Although the Earth's climate has fluctuated over history, in the last 100 years this has happened at a rate like never before, with average surface temperature rising by about 0.6-0.7ºC (1.2 to 1.4ºF). It may not sound like much, but since climate is a "non-linear" dynamical system, even slight temperature changes can have a range of cascading effects (scientists associated with the IPCC are constantly trying to model these to predict future climate). The 8 warmest years on instrumental record (since 1850) have all occurred since 1998, the warmest being 2005.

It is humans who are making this happen. By burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. These greenhouse gases have a heat-trapping affect (hence the name), preventing heat from escaping into space. While the greenhouse effect is naturally occurring, we have changed it into a "runaway greenhouse effect," which is contributing to global warming. Since the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century, our activities have dramatically increased atmospheric CO2, and today it's at a level that has not been seen for at least 800,000 years!

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Why Should I Care?

Climate change is a development issue. Because of its potential impact on so many aspects of human life, climate change is arguably the world's most important development issue today. The rich countries of the world, which industrialized a while ago, are predominantly responsible for causing the climate change problem, while the poorest communities and countries will be impacted the most, since they are typically the hardest hit by increased floods, droughts, storms, and other predicted changes, and don't have the means to cope adequately. In fact, many development gains could be lost because of climate change, leaving more people in poverty. For example, human-induced climate change is expected to:

• Negatively impact agriculture in the tropics and sub-tropics (threatening food security)
• Further decrease water quantity and quality in regions where poor communities depend on rainfall for their crops and drinking water
• Increase the incidence of malaria, dengue fever and other diseases in the tropics and sub-tropics (where health services are already weak, death tolls would rise)
• Harm ecological systems and their biodiversity (which will result in fewer services, livelihoods and income possibilities)

In addition, sea level rises associated with expected increases in temperature could displace tens of millions of people in low-lying areas, such as the Ganges and the Nile deltas, and could threaten the very existence of small island states.

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What Is the International Community Doing?

The international community now recognizes that climate change will affect poor people, and scientists, policymakers and societies are tackling the issue on several fronts. 

Adaptation

Adaptation involves taking measures to prepare for the impacts of climate change. This includes improving education, awareness and training on the impacts of climate change, as well as taking tangible steps such as planting drought-resistant seeds and creating better coastal protection. People's ability to adapt is influenced by their income levels, health, access to secure shelter, supportive social networks, and local policies. Sound development policies should consider adaptation needs, and countries are increasingly heading in this direction. Climate change is already threatening the lives, health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, who lack the financial, technical, human and institutional resources to adapt.

An important first step toward adaptation is identifying who is affected and how. This knowledge helps shape strategic planning for adaptation at all levels, from the global to the local.

Mitigation

Mitigation is the term used in the climate change world for actions that will either reduce the production of greenhouse gas emissions or remove the emissions from the atmosphere. We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using fewer fossil fuels for energy production and more alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and absorb carbon, which is why planting forests is great. Unfortunately, deforestation releases carbon back to the atmosphere which is one of many reasons it is a big problem today. Although developed countries have been largely responsible for causing climate change, the developing world is increasingly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions through deforestation and fossil fuel use driven by rapid industrialization. The big challenge today is for the developing world to be able to industrialize and develop without repeating the mistakes made by today's industrialized nations, i.e., without causing irreversible environmental harm.

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What Can I Do?

Each of us, no matter where we live, can help by lowering carbon emissions at an individual level. Recycling more, walking or riding a bike instead of driving, and unplugging idle electronics are a few examples, but there is much more you can do (see this UNEP fact sheet). While these may seem like small steps, they do make a difference, especially when whole communities do them.
           
Spreading the word is another important way to make an impact. Many people aren't aware of the urgency of the climate crisis and knowing more may spur them into action too.

Check out the Learn More box on this page, and share what you learn with your friends and family.

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