Adaptation to Climate Change in Low-Income Countries: Lessons from Current Research and Needs from Future Research

This paper constitutes the introductory essay for the special issue of Climate Change Economics, edited by Malik and Smith, forthcoming in 2012, examining adaptation to climate change in low-income countries. The paper first characterizes different types of adaptations from an economic perspective. It then puts in context the contributions of two articles that address the problem of making adaptation decisions in the face of uncertainty with an emphasis on developing country circumstances. The paper then proceeds to examines data and methodological problems faced in empirical research on adaptation, and, as part of a broader review, examines contributions of two articles that present econometric evidence on adaptation in Ethiopia and India. The paper then introduces issues in the emerging research area of interactions between autonomous and planned adaptations and discusses contributions in the CCE special issue, particularly on how government agricultural extension affects farm household adaptation and how a government 'awareness' campaign encouraging behavioral responses to heat waves can reduce mortality. Finally, the paper identifies important questions on adaptation in low-income countries that still remain largely unaddressed.