Although certain research needs are unique to each sector, other issues are recurrent throughout the report. For example, each sector would benefit from increased research on social and economic impacts, as well as improved access to and availability of data. Research that integrates impacts and adaptation issues across different sectors, and examines their interrelations and interdependencies, is needed as well. It is also frequently recommended that research focus on regions and sectors considered to be most vulnerable, as well as on the climate changes that would pose the greatest threats to human systems. These include extreme climate events, rapid climate change, and climate changes that cause critical thresholds to be exceeded.

Other research needs and knowledge gaps identified throughout the report include:

1. Better understanding of the interactive effects between climate change and non-climatic stresses, such as land use change and population growth
2. Better understanding of the linkages between science and policy and how to strengthen them
3. Studies on the potential social, economic and/or environmental consequences of implementing adaptation options
4. Better understanding of current capacity to deal with stress, and ways to enhance adaptive capacity
5. Understanding of the barriers to adaptation, and how to reduce them
6. Studies on how to incorporate climate change into existing risk management frameworks and long-term planning
7. Improved understanding of the factors that influence adaptation decision-making and how to designate responsibility for action.