Due to the lack of success in climate change mitigation efforts, the importance of adaptation is becoming more and more apparent and is now one of the main imperatives of international research and action. However, research on adaptation is mostly not directly applicable to adaptation policy or practice, leaving a gap between scientific results and practical advice for decision makers and planners. This book seeks to address this problem and bridge the gap. This book should provide readers with practical and applicable information on climate change adaptation. Following an introduction, the book is organised into four main sections, each reflecting an essential component in the adaptation process: preparing the ground; planning for adaptation; implementing adaptation and reviewing the adaptation processes. To sum up, the last section of the book focuses on lessons learned and raises the question of future steps in adaptation. A set of ten guiding principles as an overall framework in which adaptation should take place operates as a common basis for cooperative adaptation activities for all sectors and decision-making levels from local to the European. Climate change adaptation is an emerging subject area and has gained increased political and academic attention within the last decade. Whereas most books in the field focus on adaptation in developing countries, this handbook provides an examination of predominantly European policy and offers inter-disciplinary insight into cutting edge knowledge and lessons learnt in a relatively new field of implementation.