Overview Case study and analogue methodologies in climate change vulnerability research James D. Ford, 1∗ E. C. H. Keskitalo, 2 Tanya Smith, 1 Tristan Pearce, 3 Lea Berrang-Ford, 1 Frank Duerden 4 and Barry Smit 3 Assessing vulnerability is an important component of human dimensions of climate change (HDCC) research. Vulnerability assessments identify and characterize who and what are sensitive to climatic risks and why, characterize adaptive capacity and its determinants, and identify opportunities for adaptation. This paper examines the importance of case study and analogue methodologies in vulnerability research, reviews the historical evolution of the two methodologies in the HDCC field, and identifies ways in which they can be used to increase our understanding of vulnerability. Case studies involve in-depth place-based research that focuses on a particular exposure unit (e.g., community, industry, etc.) to characterize vulnerability and its determinants. Temporal analogues use past and present experiences and responses to climatic variability, change and extremes to provide insights for vulnerability to climate change; spatial analogues involve conducting research in one region and identifying parallels to how another region might be affected by climate change. Vulnerability research that uses case studies and analogues can help to develop an understanding of the determinants of vulnerability and how they interact, and identify opportunities to reduce vulnerability and enhance adaptive capacity to current and future climate risks. This information can assist policy makers in developing adaptation plans and to mainstream climate change adaptation into other policy- and decision-making processes.  2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. WIREs Clim Change I t is widely accepted that the climate is changing, with implications for human systems. Climate models indicate continued and accelerated climate change in the future, with temperatures increasing at rates unprecedented in recent human history. 1 These changes will be superimposed on social, cultural, and economic stresses which have the potential to moderate or exacerbate climate vulnerability. ∗ Correspondence to: james.ford@mcgill.ca 1 Department of Geography, McGill University, Room 308C, Burnside Hall, 805 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2K6 2 Department of Political Science, Ume ˚ a University, Ume ˚ a SE-901 87, Sweden 3 Department of Geography, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 4 Department of Geography, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3 DOI: 10.1002/wcc.48 Research is only beginning to examine the potential implications of climate change for human systems and indicates significant vulnerabilities. The Stern Report, for example, estimates that inaction on climate change could cost 20% of global GDP by 2050. 2 The World Health Organization has estimated that climate change could already be causing over 150,000 deaths and approximately five million disability-adjusted life years per year. 3 Costello et al. 4 indicate significant inequalities in the health burden of climate change with the poorest people at highest risk. Indeed, not all regions, populations, and sectors will be equally affected by climate change, with the potential for winners and losers. 5 Poor inhabitants of the global south, indigenous peoples and Arctic populations are believed to be particularly vulnerable. 2,4,6,7 Vulnerabilities to climatic risks have also been documented in developed nations, including the European heat-wave, Australian drought, Mountain  2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.