Defining climate compatible development

The policy brief introduces 'climate compatible development' as a framework to move beyond the traditional separation of adaptation, mitigation, and development strategies. It argues that policy makers must integrate these three pillars to achieve 'triple win' strategies that minimize climate threats while maximizing development opportunities. The document highlights the 'new development landscape' characterized by shifting trade patterns, new climate finance mechanisms based on 'polluter-pays' principles, and the need for long-term national consensus to navigate risks and uncertainties.

• Climate compatible development is defined as development that minimizes harm from climate impacts while maximizing human development opportunities within a low-emissions, resilient future.
• The framework seeks to replace the isolated application of adaptation, mitigation, and development strategies with an integrated approach, specifically targeting 'triple win' strategies that achieve low emissions, resilience, and development simultaneously.
• Climate change is creating a new global development landscape where climate finance is shifting from a charity-based model to one based on the 'polluter-pays' principle, leading to demands for direct access to finance and accountability to the UNFCCC.
• Low emissions development occurs where mitigation and development strategies overlap, though the document notes a lack of systematic evidence regarding the specific poverty reduction benefits of switching to low-emissions strategies.
• Climate resilient development is defined as development capable of absorbing and recovering from climate shocks, requiring a four-stage process: assessing risks, evaluating measures, prioritizing effectiveness, and integrating these into development strategies.
• Climate change alters economic production possibilities by changing the relative prices of inputs and outputs, affecting export-oriented growth strategies—particularly for island economies dependent on tourism and agricultural exporters—and creating new opportunities in sectors like lithium.
• Guyana's 2009 Low Carbon Development Strategy is cited as a progressive example of pro-poor low emissions development, utilizing the REDD+ mechanism to fund clean energy, flood adaptation, and village economies.

APA

Mitchell, T., & Maxwell, S. (2010). Defining climate compatible development. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CDKN-CCD-Planning_english.pdf

Chicago

Mitchell, Tom, and Simon Maxwell. Defining climate compatible development. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2010. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CDKN-CCD-Planning_english.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mitchell |first1=Tom |last2=Maxwell |first2=Simon |title=Defining climate compatible development |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=November 2010 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CDKN-CCD-Planning_english.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mitchell2010defining, author = {Mitchell, Tom and Maxwell, Simon}, title = {{Defining climate compatible development}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2010}, month = nov, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CDKN-CCD-Planning_english.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }