The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has reviewed the low carbon growth and climate change response strategies of a range of countries with differing economic characteristics to draw out the policy implications for developing countries at different stages of development (Ellis et al., 2009).

The study, financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), selected a cross-section of high-, middle- and low-income countries to conduct a balanced review of low carbon growth policies. High-income countries (HICs) included Germany and the United Kingdom. Middle-income countries (MICs) included China, Brazil and Mexico.

Low-income countries included Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guyana and Nigeria. Shorter ‘snapshots’ were also provided for South Korea, India, Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa. These countries were chosen because they indicate the range of activities being carried out. All have published official documents outlining their climate change policies, such as national strategy documents, National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) reports to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and national communications to the UNFCCC.