At the Durban Local Government Convention, 114 Mayors and other elected local leaders representing over 950 local governments from around the world have adopted the Durban Adaptation Charter, a political commitment to strengthen local resilience to climate change.

Over 100 civil society organizations from Africa and around the world sent a letter earlier this week to African negotiators attending the UN global climate talks in Durban, calling for them to reject efforts to place agricultural soils within a carbon market.

The implications of climate change on development make both mitigation and, in particular adaptation, essential to responding to the impacts of climate change. Policy makers have recognised the need to integrate climate change adaptation into all spheres of public policy-making.