The study of climate change impacts and adaptation requires integration of a wide range of disciplines, including the physical, biological and social sciences, and economics. Although integrating these disciplines in the context of an uncertain future is challenging, it is necessary in order to obtain results that help individuals, communities, governments and industry deal with climate change. Because climate change will affect every region of Canada and directly or indirectly influence virtually all activities, there is a need to objectively define priorities for research. A framework for establishing priorities lies in the concept of vulnerability to climate change.

An initial assessment of vulnerability is possible without detailed knowledge of future changes, based on analysis of sensitivity to past climate variability and the current capacity of the system to adapt to changing conditions. In this manner, it is possible to define coping ranges and critical thresholds. Scenarios of climate and socio-economic changes present a range of plausible futures that provide a context for managing future risk. Uncertainty regarding the nature of future climate change should not be a basis for delaying adaptation to climate change, but rather serve to focus on adaptation measures that help to address current vulnerabilities through expanding coping ranges and increasing adaptive capacity.

Many fundamental decisions regarding both climate change adaptation and mitigation will be influenced by assessment of the costs (and benefits) of climate change, recognizing that many significant social and environmental impacts are difficult to quantify. This is one area where relatively little progress has been made over the past few years and that therefore remains a high research priority in the immediate future.

Indeed, there remain many questions to be addressed and much research to be conducted in the field of climate change impacts and adaptation. The three themes discussed in this chapter will be reflected in future work. For example, the fourth assessment report of the IPCC will include a strong focus on adaptation and increased consideration of socio-economic impacts.^{(70, 71)}