The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) definition of climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether it is due to natural variability or is a result of human activity. Climate and non-climatic factors interact to produce both opportunities and disasters. It is the goal of good adaptation practices to take advantage of such opportunities and to reduce associated risks. There are substantial vulnerabilities to hurricanes along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. The major concentrations of vulnerable economic activity and capital (with capital stock greater than US$100 billion) are located in areas affected by hurricanes, including the coastal cities of Miami, New Orleans, Houston, and Tampa, three of which have been hit by major storms in the past 15 years. The year 2005 was an economic outlier because the cost per unit of hurricane power was high, but not because the power was extraordinarily high.

Adaptation to climate change must account for a variety of timescales if it is to be effectively embedded into development plans. In any event, a more robust formulation for integrating disaster risks into sustainable development is important in an uncertain and changing environment. Key informational needs for mainstreaming climate change and adaptation into development plans include knowledge of the spatial and temporal characteristics of climatic extremes and the integration of loss estimates with projections of such extremes.