The introduction and the five papers  (link to all publications) in this special issue focus particularly on the governance of adaptation as a state-led activity at national, regional, and local levels. They all show how these state-led initiatives are surrounded (supported or hindered) by networks of public and private actors. The papers illustrate the richness of activity in state institutions at different scales, and they emphasize the importance of learning and of handling risk and uncertainty in climate change adaptation. The papers all reflect the most current theories on governance.

• Elizabeth Wilson and Catrien Termeer, Governance of climate change adaptation: Introduction to the Special Issue of Climate Law (pdf)
• Catrien Termeer, Art Dewulf, Helena van Rijswick, Arwin van Buuren, Dave Huitema, Sander Meijerink, Tim Rayner and Mark Wiering, The regional governance of climate adaptation: A framework for developing legitimate, effective, and resilient governance arrangements (pdf)
• Robbert Biesbroek, Judith Klostermann, Catrien Termeer and Pavel Kabat, Barriers to climate change adaptation in the Netherlands (pdf)
• Tineke Ruijgh-van der Ploeg, Manifestations of adaptive capacity: An institutional analysis of adaptation of a local stormwater drainage system (pdf)
• Stefania Munaretto and Judith E. M. Klostermann, Assessing adaptive capacity of institutions to climate change: A comparative case study of the Dutch Wadden Sea and the Venice Lagoon (pdf)
• Heleen-Lydeke P. Mees and Peter P. J. Driessen, Adaptation to climate change in urban areas: Climate-greening London, Rotterdam, and Toronto (pdf)