A bunch of papers has been published by foreign and Russian researchers on climate change impact on the environment
and regional socioeconomic development. The bulk of them is focused on analyzing drivers and impact assessments for the
Arctic region characterized by the most intensive climate change worldwide. The paper puts to the fore a nontrivial issue of
considering the climate change impact factor within the methodology and practice of the strategic process of the Russian Arctic
redevelopment. The issue above is complicated by the imperative of ranking of the salience of the climate change socioeconomic
implications as priorities of the governance and public administration of the comprehensive development of the macro-region
under consideration. The lack of the effective tools for consolidation of the needed resources further exacerbates it. The summary
of the findings of the national and international researchers in the area of climate change impact on environment, settlements
and economic activity in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) is introduced to substantiate the policy decisions
made. We have specified the methodological issues related to peculiarities and role of the climate change factor plays in policy
decisions within the context of contemporary knowledge on patterns of spatial systems transformation, their capabilities of selforganization
and adaptation to externalities. The authors have revealed the general regularities and specificity of the AZRF
transformation as a spatial system and the impact of climate change produced on this process. We have particularly emphasized
the issues of adaptation to climate change of the AZRF indigenous population whose health and economic activities experience
increased risks associated with high intensiveness of the climatic fluctuations. Recommendations for using scenario (variation)
approach to redesigning strategies and programs of AZRF development are substantiated