Climate change affects poor people in particular, because of their weak adaptive capacities. Development projects of all kinds can strengthen or weaken those capacities and at the same time, they can influence greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore important to evaluate the impacts of development projects on adaptive capacities and climate change mitigation. This process is called climate proofing.
Climate proofing forms the basis for measures to improve projects in the face of climate change. This Assessment Report presents the results and the lessons learned from the climate proofing of two community-level rural development projects in Honduras. The analysis was conducted with the new Climate Proofing Tool from Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS), which is based on CRiSTAL, an adaptation tool. Both projects are run by local NGOs in southern Honduras, and are supported by HEKS.
The analysis also shows that both projects have a beneficial impact on adaptive capacities, but that much more should and could be done. Focal areas highlighted include:
- natural resources need more protection, as they form the very basis of people’s livelihoods;
- physical resources such as dwellings and roads have not received any support so far, but are important in the climate context, too;
- financial incomes are crucial in coping with climate change, and alternatives to increase and stabilise incomes are needed;
- human and social resources also facilitate adaptation and require adequate support.
The experience made in this first application of the Climate Proofing Tool also shows the high need for a careful application, particularly regarding stakeholder consultations. Many questions arise in the wider implementation of the tool within an organisation as a means to mainstream climate change into development cooperation, where it is very important to have clear responsibilities, sufficient resources and long term planning.
