Climate change, currently researched and already debated in global and regional forums, can be a factor which could be considered a hazard in itself. However, climate change will also directly modify existing hazards like floods, droughts, and hurricanes. While the disaster—reduction community has elaborated risk models in terms of hazards, vulnerabilities, and coping capacities (ISDR, Living
... [Show full abstract] with Risk, 2002, 2004), climate change needs to be introduced, either as a factor which modifies existing hazards, or as a hazard in itself. The impact which climate change will have on present day activities and development will vary from society to society and within different regions of the world, according to its manifestations. One crucial impact related to climate change will be felt in agriculture, especially in developing countries where subsistence agriculture is common, so many crops do not fare well with climate change, and a major challenge of paramount importance in adaptation will involve finding other sources of livelihoods. This paper addresses ways in which climate change can be introduced into the commonly used risk models, as well as issues which will need further discussion within the global communities of experts in development and disaster reduction. In particular, the paper will focus on standing research questions regarding social vulnerabilities tied to climate change, as well as the context of some preparedness and adaptation measures currently being explored.