Climate change has long-since ceased to be a scientific curiosity, and is no longer just one of many environmental and regulatory concerns. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions. Shifting weather patterns, for example, threaten food production through increased unpredictability of precipitation, rising sea levels contaminate coastal freshwater reserves and increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, and a warming atmosphere aids the pole-ward spread of pests and diseases once limited to the tropics.

Climate change is already occurring in the South Caucasus region. There is strong evidence of increased warming over the last century in this area. Statistically increasing trends in mean annual temperature, mean daily minimum temperature and mean daily maximum temperature are evident, though there are no trends in mean annual precipitation nor the number of wet days per year.

REC Caucasus works with policy makers at national and regional levels, local populations and CSOs  on improving awareness on climate change issues for better understanding of problems related to climate change impact, its socio-economic dimension particularly affecting  ecosystem integrity, rural production and  food security  by introducing of adaptation  practices, developing  regulatory and  institutional framework to consider climate change issues in planning, enhancing local capacities for sustaining  their livelihood level in face of climate change and developing the replication strategy to extend results of the activities and upscale best practices in other regions of the South Caucasus.

REC Caucasus supports elaboration of the comprehensive regional multi-stakeholder approach and platform for better exchange of information and consolidation of efforts of all South Caucasus countries to more effectively implement disaster risk reduction measures at the level eco-region. It’s mission is to foster community forest policy and practices to address deforestation and climate change issues. The aim of the organization is to support identification and implementation of adaptation response to Climate Change impact for Conservation and Sustainable use of agro-biodiversity in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of South Caucasus. The important part of developing adaptive capacities in the South Caucasus countries is to ensure resilience of agro-biodiversity of especially vulnerable arid and semi-arid ecosystems and local livelihoods to climate change. Promoting Cleaner Production principles and sustainable use of resources through local level initiatives (concept of eco-village, energy-efficient technologies, etc) is one among other effective tools against climate change.