The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II Report on Adaptation, Impacts and Vulnerability identifies the urgent need to embark upon Climate Resilient Development Pathways. Climate Resilient Development acknowledges that adaptation needs to be undertaken together with mitigation and development, in joined-up, inclusive, just and equitable ways, across multiple arenas of engagement.

In highly vulnerable systems with complex development contexts, such as drylands, where globally, warming is already exceeding that of humid areas, urgent action is vital, as the window of opportunity for Climate Resilient Development is rapidly closing. This paper considers challenges and opportunities in charting Climate Resilient Development Pathways in the world’s drylands. It highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and partnership building to harness diverse knowledge sources, situating equity and justice concerns at the core of decision making and actions such as land restoration. It notes that while technological solutions offer potential to advance Climate Resilient Development, they need to be developed in an inclusive manner and used in ways that do not undermine Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge or exacerbate inequalities.

Many of the challenges to Climate Resilient Development go beyond technology to include highly contextual differences in understanding, environment, institutions and access to finance. Adequate assessment of trade-offs in Climate Resilient Development actions in drylands remains vital to the framing of Climate Resilient Development Pathways for different groups. The paper concludes by identifying major urgent research gaps considering upscaling, stakeholder responsibilities and governance, the magnitude of investment that is necessary, and the need for appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning.