This is the story of how one major global development institution, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), recognized and responded to the challenge of climate change, and was itself transformed in the experience. Addressing climate change affected IFC at every organizational level, from high-level policy issues such as the role to take in supporting the use of fossil fuel, to highly technical and operational issues, such as tracking greenhouse gas emissions, and evaluating investments while taking into account

The Rio de Janeiro Low Carbon City Development Program is an ISO-certified framework and set of comprehensive requirements to help the city to plan, implement, monitor, and account for low carbon investments and climate change mitigation actions across all sectors in the city over time. The Program will enable the city to plan and implement the mitigation actions needed to achieve its city-wide mitigation goals, as well as credibly and transparently demonstrate the achievement of those goals through diligent monitoring and accounting of the actions taken.

This program document presents the 'Rio de Janeiro Low Carbon City Development Program (LCCDP)'. The first section, Rio de Janeiro and sustainability, sets the stage and provides the context and insight into the situation on the ground that gave rise to the development of the Rio de Janeiro LCCDP. The second section, The Rio de Janeiro low carbon city development program, describes in detail the design of the program, including the program roles and process.

According to the United Nations population fund, the world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history, with more people now living in cities than in rural areas. Cities are also responsible for a high proportion of global carbon emissions, which are the main driver of anthropogenic climate change. By taking the lead on low carbon development, cities have the opportunity to engage in an important dialogue about sustainable development, directly address local issues, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Cities are vulnerable to many types of shocks and stresses, including natural hazards like storms and sea level rise, but also man-made ones like economic transformation and rapid urbanization. These shocks and stresses have the potential to bring city systems to a halt and reverse years of socio-economic development gains. Cities that are to grow and thrive in the future must take steps to address these shocks and stresses.