Abstract: Since the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of IPCC, much evidence and findings of climate impacts on urban areas and rural areas and vulnerability in these areas have occurred, and the understanding of adaptation and risk management has grown. There is a growing body of literature on impacts, vulnerability, adaptation and risk management in both urban and rural areas since AR4. The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) improves the following understandings on these issues. Urban climate change risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts are increasing across the world in urban centers of all sizes, economic conditions and site characteristics. Reducing basic service deficits and building resilient infrastructure systems can significantly reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to climate change, especially for those who are most at risk or vulnerable. Major impacts of climate change in rural areas will be felt through impacts on water supply, food security and agricultural incomes. Rural people in developing countries are subject to multiple non-climate stressors, including underinvestment in agriculture, problems with land and natural resource policy, and processes of environment degradation. Climate policies, such as increasing energy supply from renewable resources, encouraging cultivation of biofuels, or payments under REDD+ project, will have significant secondary impacts, both positive (increasing employment opportunities) and negative (landscape changes, increasing conflicts for scarce resources), in some rural areas.

Key words: urban area, rural area, impact, adaptation, vulnerability