About the book

Accelerating the shift to climate compatible development is CDKN’s business, and improving the lives of the most climate-affected people is our mission. A multi-year, £130 million programme funded by the British and Dutch governments and other donors, CDKN works to support climate compatible development in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

CDKN’s programme provides focused technical assistance to governments, as well as research-into-action projects that fill gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts and solutions.

Our strategy is to work with progressive national governments, state and provincial authorities, city officials, civil society and businesses to achieve positive changes in policies and behaviour. Ultimately, we want to make life more stable, secure and fulfilling for those most affected by climate change.

A crucial part of CDKN’s strategy is the exchange of honest learning about which approaches are (and are not) working in terms of climate compatible development. The rapid, deep shift in policies and behaviour that is needed will rely on innovation and experimentation. They will also need to build on the strengths and accomplishments of decades of development in humankind’s recent history – the approaches to participation, inclusiveness and empowerment that have made other development efforts succeed. We want to help exchange and build on experience in climate compatible development so that decision-makers and practitioners everywhere can learn and assimilate lessons quickly.

We want to know: Which strategies are increasing resilience, curbing emissions and tackling poverty simultaneously? How are decision-makers grappling with sometimes conflicting climate predictions to make sound investments that will endure over decades of climate impacts? What are the trade-offs involved in making development more ‘climate compatible’ and what are the politics of decision-making? Which approaches are contributing to fairer outcomes for the most climate-vulnerable, and which decisions risk making the poor even poorer? The emerging answers to these questions can contribute to our collective endeavour to develop a secure, resilient world.

This book builds upon existing scholarship on climate compatible development, including books which explain what climate mitigation and adaptation are, including different conceptual and methodological approaches and how they are addressed in international negotiations.

Our book also complements and follows on from the Green growth in practice: Lessons from country experiences, which CDKN co-sponsored, and which formed a major enquiry into the emerging field of green growth.

This book is intended for decision-makers, development planners and practitioners (including civil society groups), as well as donors working to address climate change in developing countries. It aims to offer a rich source of learning based on CDKN’s experience.