Abstract:
Rapid change in climate is set to alter the delicate balance that exists between man and nature. The
literature to this effect points out that the poorest countries and communities are likely to suffer the most because of
their geographic locations, low income and low institutional capacity, as well as their greater reliance on climate-
sensitive sectors like agriculture. Even if climate mitigations plans are implemented properly there will be some
degree of warming due to inertia of emissions already released. As such, there is a strong consensus about the need
of adaptation to changing climatic conditions. Adaptation to climate change is given increasing international
attention as the confidence in climate change projections is getting higher. Developing countries have specific needs
for adaptation due to high vulnerabilities, and they will in this way carry a great part of the global costs of climate
change although the rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are mainly the responsibility of
industrialized countries. Adaptation is believed to enhance the resilience against increasing climate variability. In
this backdrop, the objective of the present paper is, therefore, to systematically and critically review the existing
literature on the impacts of climate change and choice of adaptations across countries and draw insights for
suggesting a comprehensive policy framework particularly for developing countries in this regard. The paper finds
that the role of government and civil society is crucial for enabling efficient adaptation methods. Development
policies and programs having synergy effect with climate change initiatives help adapt with the changing climate
better. However, the availability of clean technology in developing countries will play the decisive role in
controlling their growth rate of emission.
