“Climate change is not just a long-term issue. It is happening today, and it entails uncertainties for policy makers trying to shape the future.”
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges the world will face in this century. It threatens the Millennium Development Goals, and may significantly reserve progress made to-date in human development, especially in the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Sustainable development planning processes must therefore endeavor to full address the diverse and complex impact of climate change on sustainable development. Development choices of today influence the adaptive capacity of people and their governments well into the future. In other words, countries cannot afford to delay the integration of climate change adaptation and mitigation into sustainable development planning.
