A new report analyses the links between climate change and development and helps devise future business plans

Companies need to become more aware of the links between climate change and development in low-income countries, according to a new report from sustainability charity Forum for the Future. Echoing the convergence of the business and environmental worlds in recent years, The Future Climate for Development argues that it is impossible to separate development from climate change in the modern world.

The report focuses on the need for planned strategic development that acknowledges climate change from the initial stages and plans for the effects of its impact on low-income communities.

With the aim of providing support tools for companies, Forum is targeting “anyone who has a stake in the future of low-income countries, including NGOs, businesses, policy makers and low-income country governments”.

The report is structured around a scan of the horizon 20 years from now and presents possible global predicaments by 2030. By that date, issues such as resource shortages, the effects of a low carbon economy, limited individual liberties and a lack of aid money may or may not have had knock-on effects damaging international relations and straining low-income countries even further.

Forum’s report does not present solutions. It is designed to provoke thought and instigate planning. Jemima Jewell, a co-author of the report, says: “It’s a big ask and it does take forward-looking companies to engage with that kind of challenge.”

Who for?

The report provides long-term strategies for projects in low-income countries that embed climate change as an issue integral to the very concept of modern development.

The UK’s Department for International Development helped fund the report. Already DfID is using the report in regions such as Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Ethiopia as well as for internal training sessions in the UK. The goal is to enable developing nations to make decisions on planning themselves, with DfID acting in a guiding and supporting role.

DfID’s Philip Lewis stresses the importance of all development spending and preparation being “climate smart”. “This is essential when we consider the potential harm this lack of foresight could do to years of global aid that has improved the fate of so many struggling nations,” Lewis says.

For companies the report is an opportunity to test strategies against the scenarios. A downloadable workshop pack presents clear guidelines and objectives for using the report and the scenarios are presented via four short animations. The exercises are designed to highlight the impacts of climate change, develop a culture that considers the future, and present opportunities to rehearse contingency plans.

Still at the roll-out stage, Forum for the Future and DfID hope the report will encourage much needed collaboration between businesses and the development movement. The next stage will be to examine reaction from report users as they integrate the tools and scenarios into company strategy and planning.