Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to global environmental change: challenges and pathways for an action-oriented research agenda for middle-income and low-income countries

▶ Adaptation research for lower income countries requires challenging innovation. ▶ Current trends to greater inequality reflect and create global environmental threats. ▶ Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation research requires more local researchers. ▶ Governance issues and reducing global inequities are key vulnerability priorities. ▶ Adaptation research must become detailed, multiscalar and action-oriented, and attend also to the effects of communications structures in encouraging political (dis)engagement.