• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.75-94
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyze the major issues discussed among Parties and provide a framework for predicting the agreements on those issues, prior to the final negotiation on a new legally-binding agreement on climate change adaptation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The analyses of documents, adaptation actions, and work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) under the UNFCCC informed that the adaptation issue has primarily been focused on the support of developed country Parties for the adaptation of developing country Parties following the principle of the Convention, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). Three-year work of the ADP acknowledged the major issues on adaptation in the new climate agreement, which would be categorized as long-term and global aspects, commitments/contributions/actions, monitoring and evaluation, institutional arrangements, and loss and damage. A final agreement on each issue could be predicted by setting a zone of possible agreement in-between the two extremes of developing and developed country Parties and considering three major elements affecting the Parties' positions, national priority, adaptation action, and social expectation, which are proposed in this study. The three major elements should be considered in a balanced manner by Parties to draw a durable agreement that will enhance global adaptation actions from a long-term perspective. That is, the agreement needs to reflect adaptation actions occurring outside the Convention as well as social expectations for adaptation. It is expected that the new agreement on climate change adaptation, from a long-term and global perspective, would be an opportunity to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to climate change by incorporating global expectations.