The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has announced that its Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) has compiled a briefing note based on recent decisions adopted by Ramsar contracting parties and on recent information and recommendations provided by the STRP in relation to wetlands and climate change. The note was prepared to serve as an aide-memoire for preparations for, and during, the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, to ensure that wetland issues are given due consideration. The note is structured around headline messages that provide that: wetland ecosystems, their biodiversity and the wetland ecosystem services on which humans depend are threatened by the likely impacts of climate change; wetland ecosystems are important for climate change mitigation and adaptation; and policies, planning and implementation related to climate change at all levels should recognize and incorporate the role and importance of wetland ecosystems.