Global Climate Change Integration

USAID recognizes that climate change impacts our entire development portfolio. For example, more variable rainfall, stronger storms, and increasing temperatures have the potential to reduce agricultural productivity; warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification are already negatively impacting fisheries. These impacts are poised to undermine the livelihoods of millions in developing countries, especially the poorest. Similarly, increased incidence of flooding and drought, saltwater intrusion into drinking water supplies, and the migration of disease vectors into new areas (such as mosquitoes carrying malaria) will affect public health by undermining access to clean water and sanitation, undercutting nutritional gains, and changing disease distribution patterns and prevalence.

Climate change is a stressor that can affect the development outcomes of all Agency programs. With its potential impact on food and water availability, population movement, conflict, economic growth, international trade, and human health, climate change creates the imperative for a new operating environment for development assistance and requires broad issue ownership within USAID. It also necessitates moving beyond short-term planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation horizons to those that take a longer term view.

USAID programs in food security, health, water, economic growth, disaster risk reduction, and other sectors promote resilience to climate change and lower emission approaches to development. USAID’s staff and partners are working to better integrate mitigation and adaptation efforts in all programs across all sectors to help our partner countries better respond to climate change challenges. USAID is also investing in training its staff on climate change to help them better meet these challenges and design programs in all sectors that effectively address climate change mitigation and adaptation needs.

In line with USAID’s Climate and Development Strategy and to help the Agency better operationalize the integration of climate change into its entire portfolio; USAID is supporting Global Climate Change Integration Pilot Projects through grants to USAID Missions. The pilot projects provide learning opportunities for integrating climate change considerations into the Agency’s top priorities and programs.

Finally, USAID collaborates with other US Government agencies, including the Departments of State, Energy, and Treasury, to implement the President’s Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI). USAID works with other U.S. Government agencies to bring development concerns into international climate change negotiations and other forums. Internally, USAID is investing in efforts to green its own operations, both domestically and at USAID Missions overseas. You can learn more about these activities from the links below.