Despite the major uncertainties mentioned at the beginning that afflict both dimensions of climate change, this analysis has demonstrated a clear trend: the regulatory-market economy dimension of climate change will affect most sectors much earlier than the environmental-climatic dimension. Policy makers must be clearly responsible for creating planning reliability for all economic players, by announcing climate policy measures as early as possible. This is essential for all the sectors that are affected, as they will then be able to gear up for the coming tasks much more easily and efficiently. The opportunities presented by climate change outweigh the risks. The human race has often proved its ability to react to major challenges with technological breakthroughs. A healthy dose of optimism for the future is therefore needed. Research and development are the keys to success in this respect.
