Global climate change increases the possibility of disputes in international rivers. Avoiding such problems and effectively navigating the threats imposed by climate change will require substantial adaption measures and broader cooperation among the riparian countries in international river basins, while pursuing sustainable development. This paper reviews progress of studies in this field, and finds that the key factor of adaptive management is to establish a set of procedures for scientific assessment. Therefore, an adaptation assessment and management framework applied to impacts of climate change is developed. It includes qualitative description and analysis of the international river basins, semi-quantitative analyses of the potential impacts of future climate change and adaptive capacity across the basins, quantitative analysis of cost-benefit and assessment of adaptation options. This paper provides an effective framework tool and methodology for proposing more targeted adaption measures to combat climate change in international river basins.