Development Aid And Adaptation To Climate Change In Developing Countries

This book examines development aid for climate change adaptation. Increasing amounts of aid are used to help developing countries adapt to climate change. The authors seek to discover how this aid is distributed and what constitutes the patterns of adaptation-aid giving. Does it help vulnerable countries, as donors promise, or does it help donors achieve economic and political gains? Set against the backdrop of international climate change negotiations and the aid allocation literature, Betzold and Weiler’s empirical analysis proceeds in three steps: firstly they assess adaptation aid as reported by the OECD, then statistically examine patterns in adaptation aid allocation, and finally qualitatively investigate adaptation aid in three large climate donors: Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With its mixed-method research design and comprehensive data, this work provides a unique, state-of-the-art analysis of adaptation aid as a new stream of development aid.

Climate change impacts upon the world's poorest most heavily. It is therefore essential that international development initiatives focus on improving the ability of developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change. This book, a product of research by the JICA-RI (Research Institute of the Japan International Cooperation Agency), examines climate change adaptation from the perspective of development cooperation in order to provide useful lessons for those engaged in research, policy and practice in this vital area. In this book the editors have brought together a wide range of case studies from across Africa and Asia, covering urban and rural areas and different sectors including water, agriculture and disaster management, in order to examine the following: o high-resolution climate change projection in Asia and how this can be used in planning appropriate adaptation responses o in-depth case studies of climate change projections, social, economic and environmental impact and vulnerability assessment and adaptation in rural Thailand and urban Philippines o cases across Africa for which climate data is less readily available and alternative approaches need to be adopted o the current situation amongst international donors o emerging issues caused by climate change In the introductory section, the editors draw together the full implications from the case studies to discuss how international communities can support adaptation in developing countries and to give an assessment of bilateral projects. They reflect on the lessons learned and offer recommendations for future research and international development cooperation.

Billions of dollars are annually transferred to poor nations to help them adapt to the effects of climate change. This Element examines how the discourses on adaptation finance of many developing country negotiators, environmental groups, development charities, academics and international bureaucrats have renewed a specific vision of aid, that of an aid intended to respond to international injustices and to fuel a regular transfer of resources between rich and poor countries. By reviewing manifestations of this normative vision of aid in key contemporary debates on adaptation finance, the author shows how these discourses have contributed to the significant financial mobilisation of developed countries towards adaptation in the Global South. But there remains a stark contrast between the many expectations associated with these discourses and today's adaptation finance landscape.

The evidence for human-induced climate change is now overwhelming, the brunt of its impacts is already being felt by poor people, and the case for urgent action is compelling. This book addresses the two greatest challenges of our time – averting catastrophic climate change and eradicating poverty – and the close interconnections between them. Climate Change and Development provides a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary foundation for understanding the complex and tangled relationship between development and climate change. It argues that transformational approaches are required in order to reconcile poverty reduction and climate protection and secure sustained prosperity in the twenty first century. Section One provides the building blocks for understanding climate science and the nexus between climate and development. Section Two outlines responses to climate change from the perspective of developing countries, with chapters on international agreements, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and climate finance. Each chapter offers analytical tools for evaluating responses, enabling readers to ask smart questions about the climate change and development nexus as policy and action evolve in the coming years. The last three chapters of the book, contained in Section Three, are forward looking and focus on why and how development must be re-framed to deliver more equitable and sustainable outcomes. This section sets out different critiques of ‘development-as-usual’ and explores alternative paradigms of development in a warming and resource-constrained world. This is an invaluable and clearly written text that uses real world examples to bring to life perspectives from across different disciplines. It also contains chapter learning outcomes, and end of chapter summaries, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading and relevant websites. The text is suitable for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as those working in international development contexts who wish to get to grips with this pressing global challenge.

This book provides essential information and advice on how to facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into development processes.

This collection examines the role that foreign aid can play in dealing with the severe global challenge of climate change, one of the most pressing international development issues of the 21st century. Addressing the key threats of rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, coastal erosion and natural disasters, the book considers the implications for policy and future research, particularly in developing countries. Focusing on the worth of foreign aid in ensuring environmental sustainability, this collection consider how it can be used to improve access to sustainable energy, to promote efficient use of energy resources, to improve emission reduction and support the preservation of biodiversity in forests. Advancing our knowledge about foreign aid and climate change, it provides policy recommendations for the donors and recipient country governments. A cutting edge text on one of the most pressing international development issues of this century, this is key reading for all scholars of international development and climate change.