Abstract
What it means to be vulnerable to climate change and how early examples of climate change adaptation may affect vulnerable groups in society. Climate change will, among other impacts, bring increased risks to health and well-being from more frequent and intense heatwaves, as well as increased droughts threatening the security of affordable water supplies in the UK. This report: ■introduces the concept of vulnerability to climate change within the context of social justice; ■examines two early case studies of adaptation in the south-west of England: the implementation of the national Heatwave Plan; and the trend towards differential water pricing based on usage (including the trial of a rising block tariff for water); and ■highlights the need for a more systematic consideration of current and future vulnerabilities in local, sectoral and national adaptation planning.