© Conservation International photo by Sara Bharrat

Climate Change

© Conservation International photo by Sara Bharrat

The climate has always been changing…but the pace is now faster than humans have ever seen.

Climate change threatens to ma​ke parts of the planet uninhabitable or inhospitable for life as we know it while worsening poverty, swamping coastli​nes and​ destroying infrastructure. In short, it is the most pressing global challenge we have ever faced.

Conservation International (CI) protects perhaps humanity’s biggest ally in the fight against climate change: nature.

of the solution

Nature can provide up to 30 percent of the mitigation action needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius on average (2.7 F).


Deforestation accounts for about 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans.

of tree species in the Amazon

In Amazonian forests, 1 percent of the tree species sequester 50 percent of the carbon.


Current greenhouse gas emission trends put the world on course for a 3.7-4.8°C temperature increase by 2100, which would cause catastrophic effects. Even current international commitments fall short of the cuts required to limit warming to a relatively safer 2°C. Even if all emissions are stopped immediately, effects will continue for centuries due to the cumulative impact of emissions already in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, nearly 800 million people globally are currently considered especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including the Caribbean region.


Conservation International envisions a world where nature’s contribution to addressing climate change is fully maximized. This means that nature not only lives up to its potential to mitigate climate change — tropical forests alone can deliver 30% of mitigation action needed to prevent catastrophic climate change — but also is fully deployed in places where ecosystems can help vulnerable populations adapt to the already-present and future effects of climate chang​e.


Conservation International addresses climate change on two fronts:


Helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change that are already happening and that are expected to accelerate, such as sea-level rise.


Working to prevent further climate change by reducing emissions, enhancing carbon storage, etc.