ABSTRACT
Global climate change is considered one of the greatest threats to international development efforts. It poses risks to humans, the environment and the economy. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports in its Fourth Assessment Report (4AR) that the global mean surface temperature has risen by 0.74°C ±0.18°C during the last century. This increase has been particularly significant over the last 50 years (IPCC, 2007). However, more recent research indicates that climatic changes occur at a much faster rate than assumed a few years ago in the IPCC's 4AR (e.g. Richardson et al., 2009). Today most climate scientists agree that the possibility of staying below the 2°C threshold between ‘acceptable’ and ‘dangerous’ climate change becomes less likely as no serious global action on climate change is taken (Richardson et al., 2009; Tyndall Centre, 2009). A rise above 2°C is likely to lead to abrupt and irreversible changes (IPCC, 2007). These changes are expected to make it difficult for contemporary societies to cope with, and they could cause severe societal, economic and environmental disruptions which could severely threaten international development throughout the 21st century and beyond (Richardson et al., 2009).
