Impact Assessment: How might your community or organization be affected by climate change?  Is a building in your community vulnerable to storm surge? What will a milder winter mean for the local farmer's market?   An impact assessment helps to answer questions like these by helping users to identify what the climate impacts, risks and vulnerabilities are in their community or organization.  An impact assessment is often the first activity that communities and organizations take on in their journey towards planned adaptation.  

Adaptation Assessment: An adaptation assessment by contrast looks at what adaptation options are available and most effective to address climate impacts, capacity challenges, risks and vulnerabilities. Should the new road be built futher away from the waterline?  Should hard or soft measure be used to control erosion?  What adaptation option is most cost-effective?  Which is most reliable?  These questions are all part of the process of conducting an adaptation assessment.  Once the assessment's complete, communities and organizations will have a solid strategy in place to help them to deal with the challenges and opportunities arising from climate change.