Climate change is a global crisis. As temperatures and sea levels rise, people around the world are increasingly seeing heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires upend their lives. The effects of climate change are not equal – they disproportionately impact the poorest and most marginalized communities USAID works to support every day. Climate change affects virtually everything that USAID does and threatens the development progress it has supported over more than 60 years.
Climate change increases water and food scarcity, displacement, and the need for humanitarian assistance, as well as contributes to conflict and disrupts economic stability. Yet at the same time, USAID’s response presents an opportunity to improve livelihoods. Decarbonizing economies means less air pollution that negatively affects health. Building climate-resilient infrastructure means people are safer when disaster strikes and reduces the need for costly repairs after every storm. Investing in green jobs presents an opportunity to make workforces more equitable and inclusive.
That is why USAID has developed a new Climate Strategy that will guide its work through 2030. This new Strategy takes a “whole-of-Agency” approach that calls on all corners of USAID to play a part in the response. USAID will work on the ground with partner governments and local actors to set the global trajectory toward a vision of a resilient, prosperous, and equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Addressing the climate crisis requires a holistic approach to development. Every USAID sector and Mission has a role to play in transforming global systems like agriculture, energy, governance, infrastructure, and health. This Strategy includes six ambitious high-level Targets that reflect how a whole-of-Agency approach can increase USAID’s impact. USAID will update these 2030 Targets and supplement them with interim Targets throughout the Strategy’s lifetime.
USAID’s Climate Strategy is built on several foundational principles, which will be incorporated into all planning and activities: Locally-led Development, Equity and Inclusion, Private Sector Engagement, Nature-based Solutions, and Evidence, Technology, and Innovation.
This Climate Strategy hub will be regularly updated as additional guidance is released.
This decade will be decisive for the future of our planet, and USAID is poised to galvanize the lasting changes necessary to combat climate change. USAID's work builds on the foundation of previous years, which focused on specific climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
Explore USAID's Climate LegacyThis Strategy will guide USAID's whole-of-Agency efforts through 2030 to advance equitable and ambitious actions to confront the climate crisis. This goal will be achieved through two Strategic Objectives (SOs) that allow USAID to facilitate targeted direct action (SO 1) and systems change (SO 2) across all sectors. These two Strategic Objectives are mutually reinforcing; many programs and activities will contribute to both, in parallel or sequentially. USAID will also demonstrate its commitment to addressing the climate crisis by implementing a Special Objective (SpO) through which USAID will do our part by transforming its operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially, adapt to the climate crisis, and improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility among USAID staff working on climate, and by supporting partners to undertake similar efforts.
Strategic Objective 1: Accelerate and scale targeted climate actions
USAID will employ context-sensitive approaches to support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in critical geographies, mobilize increased finance, and partner with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, women, youth, and other marginalized and/or underrepresented groups in locally led efforts to address the climate crisis.
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Strategic Objective 2: Catalyze transformative shifts to net-zero and climate-resilient pathways.
USAID will support partner countries, communities, and international organizations to catalyze systems transformation in ways that strengthen and achieve their locally determined goals and promote synergies and manage trade-offs between results, as well as a just transition toward an equitable, climate-resilient world with emissions-reduction based on net- zero pathways.
Special Objective: Strengthen operations and approaches to programming to address climate change and further climate justice within USAID and its partner organizations.
USAID is committed to doing its part to confront the climate crisis by transforming the Agency’s operations and supporting its implementing partners to undertake similar efforts.
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