A Climate for Change

(^4) Human Development Report - Croatia 2008
Both the Government and citizens are concerned and interested in the climate change issue. The Government
is already pursuing several strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus allowing the Human Develop-
ment Report to focus on identifying key gaps and to provide specific recommendations on “climate-proofing”
human development strategies. In addition, the Report can help to address public concerns: in a recent survey,
8 out of 10 Croatians felt that climate change was really happening, and of that group, 4 out of 10 thought it
worse than experts were saying.
While this Report is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of all aspects of climate change, it does reflect
the breadth and depth of research that has been done in many sectors to date, and it provides a link between a
global phenomenon and the everyday human development issues facing Croatia. The research and analysis in this
Human Development Report indicates that, while climate change is likely to pose serious threats to human devel-
opment in Croatia, it also has the potential to bring several beneficial opportunities. The “climate for change” that
currently exists in Croatia will provide the country with the motivation it needs to rise to the challenge.
Yuri Afanasiev
Resident Representative
UNDP Croatia
Foreword