The impacts of climate change on Thailand--namely prolonged droughts, decreased agricultural and fishery yields, violent flooding, sea level rise and health-related issues--are already serious and will likely create or exacerbate a number of additional problems during the next few decades. These include water management challenges, heightening of class-related tensions, a flood of new immigrants and refugees, damage to the tourism industry and conflict with China over dam-building. While the government has begun framing policies to both adapt to and mitigate climate change, its response so far has been limited due to shortcomings in both the planning and implementation processes. Thailand's ongoing political crisis also diverts decision-maker's attention away from this issue. In the coming decades, Thailand's institutional structure and political economy will hinder its capacity to address climate change and, while these capacities will improve as the country democratizes, it will still be limited. Consequently, climate change will retard the country's growth and enormously strain the country's political system, state and society. Keywords: Thailand, climate change, Thai institutional capacity, climate change policy, Thai political economy.