Climate Change

The world must halve carbon dioxide and other emissions driving climate change by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This requires big changes in how economies are powered, cities and buildings designed, and forests and land managed. At the same time, climate variability and change is already affecting social and economic development in multiple ways.

USAID is sharing world-class knowledge, data, and tools to help countries predict, prepare for, and adapt to climate change. We also help countries achieve more ambitious targets under the Paris Agreement and lay the foundations for sustainable growth through renewable energy and natural climate solutions.

USAID plays a key role in the climate-and-development arena, with a portfolio of climate change programs, partnerships, and expertise in more than 45 countries across the globe.

Climate Adaptation

Climate change has made rainfall inconsistent in Kenya and Tanzania’s shared Mara River Basin. Success in adapting to this variability comes from the transboundary cooperation and ownership by community members, government officials, and private sector representatives.

Bobby Neptune / USAID

USAID strengthens the resilience of vulnerable populations to the impacts of climate change by partnering with countries to apply best practices, science, knowledge and tools.

• Read more about Climate Adaptation

Renewable Energy

USAID’s renewable energy programs promote deployment, financing, and grid integration of renewable energy generation as a means to mitigate climate change while lowering costs, spurring economic growth, and increasing access to affordable modern energy services.

USAID’s renewable energy programs promote deployment, financing, and grid integration of renewable energy generation as a means to mitigate climate change while lowering costs, spurring economic growth, and increasing access to affordable modern energy services.

• Read more about Renewable Energy

Natural Climate Solutions

Tikal National Park, Guatemala, at sunrise

Jason Houston / USAID

USAID helps partner countries protect, manage, and restore forests and other lands to combat climate change while improving livelihoods and resilience. USAID works with communities, businesses, and governments across entire landscapes to have impact at scale.

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Climate Integration

Jorge E. Martínez Santamaría / USAID

Climate change affects nearly everything we do at USAID. As such, the Agency mainstreams climate change considerations across much of our development and humanitarian assistance work: we look at how our programs—from economic growth to global health to conflict prevention—affect and are affected by climate change.

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Our USG Partners

U.S. State Department partners with USAID to support knowledge sharing about resilience and low emission development across countries, as State leads the United States in global climate talks.

NREL, the U.S. Renewable Energy Lab is a core partner supporting USAID’s energy work.

U.S. Space Agency NASA partners with USAID in the SERVIR program, which helps countries access and use satellite data to predict and prepare for climate risks.

USDA & U.S. Forest Service helps USAID to help countries improve forest and landscape management.

U.S. Weather Service (NOAA) works with USAID to help countries access and use world-class weather and climate information and technology to predict and prepare for changing risks.