Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation of Households in U-Tapao River Sub-Basin, Thailand Chanisada Choosuk 1* , Somporn Khunwishit 2 , Panalee Chevakidagarn 1 1 Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90112, Thailand 2 Faculty of Management Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90112, Thailand Corresponding Author Email: chanisada.c@psu.ac.th https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.160610 ABSTRACT Received: 7 September 2021 Accepted: 19 October 2021 Flood, storm, and drought have frequently impacted households in the U-Tapao River Sub- basin, Songkhla Province, Thailand, as a result of climate change. Studying how to assist them in better adapting to the effects of climate change is a critical mission that researchers should strive to achieve. The goals of this study are to (1) investigate the effects of climate change on households in the U-Tapao River Sub-basin, (2) examine the adaptation strategies they used, (3) the challenges they faced when attempting to adapt, and (4) provide recommendations for future adaptation. The study was carried out in the jurisdictions of three local government authorities. A survey questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from 300 households, which was then analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. To supplement survey data, qualitative data were collected from 50 key informants via in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions. Climate change impacted households in four ways, according to the findings: health, housing, agriculture, and livelihood activities. Although households can take general measures to mitigate the effects of climate change on their health and livelihood, they do not appear to be able to take preventive measures to minimize flooding impacts on their house and property, nor do they appear to be able to adopt on-farm adaptation strategies to prevent income loss. The main impediment to taking more effective measures is a lack of funds, knowledge, and technical assistance. As a result, practical recommendations are provided at the end of this paper to help overcome such challenges and encourage households to adopt more adaptation strategies. Keywords: climate change adaptation, health adaptation, household, Thailand 1. INTRODUCTION Because of its global and local effects, climate change is no longer a new or unfamiliar concept. It is already having an impact on people's livelihoods and will continue to do so in the coming decades [1, 2]. As a result, reducing its effects on humans and the environment is an important and urgent priority for everyone. Adapting to climate change is one way to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing its effects. The IPCC defines climate change adaptation, which has recently gained prominence, as “adjustment to an actual or expected environment and its effects” [3]. This concept refers to minimizing negative consequences, minimizing damage, and maximizing potential benefits from changes. It is also related to time scale in terms of doing what when ( such as focusing on immediate actions in response to rapid climate change that has already occurred) and focusing on proactive and precautionary measures in response to expected future impacts. Finally, because households seek to secure their lives and well- being at the community and city levels, it is a multi- level sector-based endeavor [2, 4-7]. Scholars have previously conducted research studies to identify climate-related risks that posed a threat to households. Here are some intriguing findings from previous research. For starters, the health effects of climate- related risks will affect most communities in the coming decades, threatening the lives and well-being of billions of people [8]. The effects of climate change on the immune and respiratory systems stand out among these health risks. Temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity, for example, have all been linked to dengue epidemics [9]. Second, the impact of climate change, particularly drought and flooding, has had an effect on both urban systems and household livelihoods. It can, for example, cause significant damage to homes and possessions as well as communications disruption [10, 11]. Flooding is especially dangerous in urban areas, densely populated areas, and areas with aging infrastructure [12]. Finally, agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors because farmers rely heavily on adequate rainfall. Prolonged drought and severe flooding caused by climate change can destroy people's plantation or agricultural activities [13]. This, in turn, can exacerbate rural households' food insecurity. Furthermore, climate change has the potential to exacerbate the problem of pests and diseases [14-16]. Previous studies examined climate change adaptation using a variety of methodologies. Selm et al. [11], Somboonsuke et al. [17], Lin et al. [18], and Harvey et al. [19] used quantitative methods to survey household and farmer perceptions and impacts. Other researchers have used qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews and focus groups, including Aniah et al. [2], Tahiru et al. [6], Lehmann et al. [20], Birchall and Bonnett [21], and Artur and Hilhorst [22]. Finally, some studies used mixed methods, such as International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning Vol. 16, No. 6, October, 2021, pp. 1091-1099 Journal homepage: http://iieta.org/journals/ijsdp 1091