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Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to suggest the utility of an emergency management perspective as a guide for policy makers as they respond to the challenges of global climate change. Design/methodology/approach - This analytical paper begins with a review of scientific literature in an effort to highlight the consensus about risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change or global warming. Applying the terminology and techniques of natural disaster planning, preparedness, response, and mitigation to climate change, an emergency management perspective is articulated as a viable framework for policy development. Findings - Based on the evidence of a growing consensus in the scientific assessment of climate change, and the need for policy interventions to address the risks and vulnerabilities associated with it, the need for a unifying perspective for policymakers at all levels is apparent. An emergency management perspective is offered herein and holds the potential to provide a foundation for meeting that need. Research limitations/implications - An emergency management perspective for global climate change highlights the linkages between the challenges it poses and natural disaster preparedness in general. This may enable policy analysts to draw on the natural hazards literature and techniques as a guide for planning and policy development. Practical implications - The effort to create a consensus of approach that will enable policy makers to speak the same language, participate in the same analysis, contribute to the same dialogue, and pursue the same goals may be advanced by this discussion. Originality/value - An emergency management perspective on climate change may offer the potential for developing the least problematic model for policy makers to incorporate as they seek to make their efforts more consistent and more responsible in the face of a global challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]