Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change

To assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet their obligations under the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the U.S. Country Studies Program is providing technical and financial support for the development of climate change studies in 55 countries. This document presents preliminary results from the vulnerability and adaptation assessment research of 13 of the countries that were ready to share their results. The countries contributing to this document are from the African, Asian-Pacific, Eastern European and Latin American regions, and their assessments address impacts in the agriculture, grasslands, forest, water resources, and coastal resources sectors. This document includes results from many countries for which there was no prior research on the potential impacts of climate change or for which the research has not yet been widely available. This work will not only fill gaps in the understanding of the potential impacts of climate change and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies, it will also help develop a consensus on appropriate methodologies and needs for refinement to currently available methodologies.