Abstract

Although, the development and  implementation of a global greenhouse gas reduction regime has dominated policy debates before the advent of the Kyoto Protocol (and remains a critical element of effective mitigation, communities have both direct control of critical sources of emissions and are the scale at which the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change will play out). As this paper shows, communities face a unique set of challenges as they navigate through the uncertain future presented by climate change. Even so, communities bring to the task of climate change adaptation and mitigation a unique set of tools and proficiencies that are often absent at the national and international scales. It was the ultimate aim of this paper to enhance this tool kit so that communities might effectively employ the various forms of capacity they possess to rise to the challenge presented by climate change.

Key words: Climate change, risk, adaptation, capacity, action, response, Kyoto protocol.