The scientific community has shown that climate change is occurring and is caused mainly by human activities. This state of affairs has various societal and environmental implications which has demanded attention and raised concerns about the future of human life on earth. Increasing concerns about climate change has led the international community, regional bodies and national governments to adopt legal instruments and other mechanisms to address the phenomenon. In these efforts and measures mitigation and adaptation have been the prominent response strategies. However, adaptation to climate change has experienced much less attention than mitigation. This research provides a conceptual analysis of adaptation, and discusses some socio-economic and cultural implications of climate change in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in order to show why adaptation is a better response to climate change. The research outlines and assesses the relevant developments in international, African and mainly SADC’s responses to climate change through adaptation in their legal and institutional frameworks. This includes related developments in Namibia and South Africa as SADC Member States. The study advocates for regional consensus to design a holistic policy framework and effective governance on adaptation to climate change in the SADC, as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions. As such, the study further examines the aspect of good governance and institutional frameworks as essentials for climate change adaptation in the SADC context. It concludes that it is necessary for SADC member states to cooperate in formulating an integrated and comprehensive protocol on adaptation.