Changes to the environments which people rely on for shelter, food, water and other resources will effect the lives of those people. The effects may include higher costs associated with installing infrastructure such as flood defences or the need to migrate away from their environment in search of areas less effected. These social impacts are unlikely to be evenly spread, with those least able to invest in infrastructure to adapt to a new environment or pay higher costs of importing resources from elsewhere likely to be most effected.

Societies are intrinsically linked to the environments in which they live. Changes in those environments will inevitably drive changes to the way in which humans operate and interact with each other and their natural environment. Humans rely on their environments for food and water production, resources, energy, and recreation. Those least able to access the resources (technology and capital) required to adapt to changing environments are likely to be those most greatly affected by variations in these elements.

Climate change presents a question of social 'equity', both: (i) across time, as development in today's society is creating potential social challenges and costs (see 'Economic Effects') for future societies; and (ii) across the developed and developing world, as the developing world has already undertaken a development pathway that has largely led to the man-made climate challenges we face today, and it would seem unfair to enforce a different, more sustainable and costly, development pathway on those countries currently embarking on this pathway.