INTRODUCTION

Climate change has become a defining issue of our era as it is a serious threat to sustainable development and the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially those related to addressing hunger and poverty.

Climate change refers to the change in average climatic conditions in a specific region which is additional to the natural climate variability. This arises due to the warming of our planet (Global Warming) that takes place as a result of the excessive accumulation of the heat trapping gases (notably carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) - the so-called Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) – in the atmosphere. Combustion of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), deforestation and forest degradation and some agricultural practices are among the human activities that lead to the emissions of the GHGs. Addressing climate change is now considered a top priority by the international community and individual countries and global attention is focused on finding solutions to this challenge.

The problem of climate change is a global challenge which can only be resolved through concerted global action. In order to address this challenge, an international agreement called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted by the United Nations in 1992.