Focus Areas Frameworks and Strategies for Sustainable Development Water Governance Sustainable Energy Sustainable Land Management Biodiversity Chemicals Management Trust Funds and Centres Global Environment Facility Montreal Protocol Unit Drylands Development Centre Regional Centres and SURFs Cross-Cutting Areas and Initiatives Climate Change Equator Initiative Poverty and Environment Initiative Capacity Development Gender Mainstreaming Search	Human Development: at Risk from Climate Change Climatic changes, such as shrinking glaciers, variations in rainfall frequency and intensity, and shifts in growing seasons and disease distributions, are expected to have substantial — and largely negative — impacts on food production, water supply and disease proliferation in many parts of the world. These impacts could exacerbate resource scarcity, increase the intensity and resulting costs of climate-related disasters, and possibly ignite conflict. Each of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is affected by climate change. Read more about MDGs and climate change... Populations that are most dependent on natural resources, as well as those with the least capacity for adaptation, are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. National strategies for poverty alleviation and sustainable development must incorporate concrete actions in order to reduce the vulnerability of the poor and improve their capacity to adapt to climate change. The role of UNDP in adaptation to climate change is to support countries in revising existing policies and practices or adopting new ones, in order to ensure progress towards the MDGs. Resources are available in the following three areas: 1. Programming: Technical support and financing for adaptation initiatives; 2. Mainstreaming: Tools for integrating climate change risks into UN programming; and 3. Knowledge sharing: A public platform for sharing adaptation knowledge. For more information about UNDP adaptation activities, please use the strategy, portfolio and publications links at right. Adaptation Resources PROJECTS Programming Climate Change Adaptation   MAINSTREAMING Integrating Adaptation into Development   KNOWLEDGE SHARING Adaptation Learning Mechanism (ALM) Guidelines and resources for project development, including funding information, application guidelines, programming templates, checklists and more. | UNDP Resources and support for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into UN and UNDP projects, programmes and practice areas at global and national levels. | UNDP Background material and public knowledge exchange platform, including monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools, best practice notes and lessons learned. | PUBLIC   ^ Top Contacts · Copyright & Terms of Use	Adaptation Topics UNDP Role in Adaptation UNDP Adaptation Strategy Project Portfolio Publications Collaboration & Partners Support Programmes Contacts Related Links Adaptation Basics: Climate Change Impacts and Development UNDP and the MDGs