Background and Objective of the Book.

In a parallel setting at the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009, a group of states representing the major emitting countries and main negotiating groups agreed on the Copenhagen Accord, which was taken note of at the closing plenary by the COP. The accord stresses ‘the need to establish a comprehensive adaptation programme including international support’. It also recognizes that ‘enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation is urgently required to ensure the implementation of the Convention by enabling and supporting the implementation of adaptation actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing countries’ (UNFCCC, 2010).