This paper analyses the positive impact of decentralised renewable energy technologies that enhance climate change adaptation capacity in developing countries facing increasing climate change-related hazards. It is argued that now and over the next decades, developing countries are and will be disproportionately affected by climate change negative impacts and suffer higher costs because of their greater vulnerability to natural hazards. Over the long term, there is a serious risk that further global warming could have a persistent negative impact on the development prospects of developing countries and amplify the challenges posed by ecosystem fragility, economic dependence upon agriculture and population growth in developing countries. The paper concludes with some recommendations for implementing decentralized renewable energy technologies for climate adaptation in developing countries. These include:
technology assessment - countries need to identify and determine their specific technology priorities and needs for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and reflect them in their national communications
the macroeconomic environment in which technology development, transfer, and deployment take place is of crucial importance in terms of promoting the development of clean energy technologies and improving the effectiveness of technology sharing between stakeholders
capacity building - this refers to the sustainment and reinforcement of existing scientific and technical skills, capabilities and institutions, and to the development of new skills to handle new climate friendly technologies
implementing technology transfer under the UNFCCC - this represents the international legal framework supporting developing countries’ efforts to address climate change.