section climate change the state of policy today describes how a prudent response to climate change involves a twopronged approach ambitious mitigation policies to reduce further climate change as well as timely adaptation policies to limit damage by climate change impacts that are inevitable mitigation and adaptation policies are essential and they are complementary most countries have begun to respond through actions at the international national and local levels drawing on a mix of policy instruments that include carbon pricing other energyefficiency policies informationbased approaches and innovation