Climate Change: Global Perspectives

Abstract

Climate is changing from its very inception, but the impacts are becoming prominent over last several decades. The trend of temperature change has become more rapid in recent years. Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its consequences will not be evenly distributed. The developing countries will be the first and hardest hit. The impact of climate change will be across the sectors and across nations. Climate change was identified as an urgent global problem that requires governments to unite their efforts to prepare for potential climate risks at the First World Climate Conference in 1979. This recognition led to the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988 to assess the magnitude and timing of changes and estimate their impacts. The United Nations Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force on 21 March 1994. It enjoys near universal membership with 194 Parties (member countries) having ratified. Climate change adaptation is understood as consisting of initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects. The term ``adaptation'' has been used in the climate change community since early 1990s, but no single definition has been generally adopted among conservation professionals. Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) are broadly understood to be linked in some ways; however, have not yet been taken as a holistically linked complementary set of actions that require collaborative and coordinated action by all concerned stakeholders.