Adapting to Climate Variability and Change

Featured Speakers: John Furlow, USAID Global Climate Change Team, and Glen Anderson, Senior Manager of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the International Resource Group

Climate change is detrimental to less-developed countries that do not have the resources to prepare against its effects. At “Adapting to Climate Variability and Change,” John Furlow and Glen Anderson of USAID and the International Resource Group respectively, focused on how international development can help less-developed countries (LDCs) prepare themselves for the effects of climate change. Furlow and Anderson introduced a six-step approach for adapting projects in order to take into consideration the effects of climate change. These steps have been implemented four pilot studies in Honduras, Mali, South Africa, and Thailand, and will be implemented in an upcoming project in Madagascar. By implementing these considerations into project designs, the uncertainty of effectiveness resulting from climate change effects will be reduced. Over 70% of all LDCs rely on agriculture as the main stimulus of the economy, and while implemented variability and change elements to projects can be costly, the effects of not implementing them can be detrimental.

Sponsor: SID-Washington’s Environmental Workgroup

Location: International Resource Group (IRG), 1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC

Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm

Approximate Number of Attendees: 60

Intern Attending: Keely Foutch