Thirty years ago, half the developing world lived in extreme poverty today, a quarter. Now, a much smaller share of children are malnourished and at risk of early death. And access to modern infrastructure is much more widespread. Critical to the progress: rapid economic growth driven by technological innovation and institutional reform.

Climate change is one of many challenges facing developing countries ? but unless it is tackled soon, it will reverse development gains. The WDR 2010 looks at both the challenges and the opportunities presented by climate change.