Adapting to climate change, our next global challenge
The coronavirus pandemic is challenging human resiliency like nothing else in our lifetimes. And when we come out on the other side of this crisis, we’ll have to address another existential challenge: adapting to climate change. Some adaptations are already happening. In the last few years, people have responded to climate change–driven fires, floods and hurricanes by rethinking how and where to live. The city of Boston’s Climate Ready Boston initiative has created a master plan to help residents cope with increasingly common storm surges and rising sea levels (SN: 8/17/19, p. 16). California is trying to figure out how to harden its power grid to reduce the risk of wildfires (SN: 2/15/20, p. 22). Most Americans say they see signs of climate change where they live (SN Online: 11/25/19). In this issue, we delve into the science behind key questions in adapting to climate change. Does it make sense to...