Climate Change and Human Development

Climate change is globally acknowledged as one of the most significant development challenges facing humanity. There is increasing evidence that climate change is directly affecting the social, economic and human development of countries. Combating climate change therefore has become one of the key global development priorities. The effects of climate change and related disasters have the potential to adversely impact the majority of Kenyans given that about 75% of the population depends directly on land and natural resources for their livelihoods. In recent years, there has been increased attention to climate change due to its impacts on the lives of Kenyans. This has been mainly due to an increase in intensity and frequency of extreme climate events such as severe droughts and flooding. These extreme events have had negative socio-economic impacts on almost all sectors in the Kenyan society such as health, agriculture, livestock, environment, hydropower generation, and tourism. The seriousness of the problem has made it imperative for policy makers to begin to mainstream climate change in development policies and strategies. This is the motivating factor for a national human development report (NHDR) on climate change. This is the 7th NHDR produced for Kenya on the theme: “Climate Change and Human Development: Harnessing Emerging Opportunities”