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Are we adapting radically enough to climate change?

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London, UK
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According to a new study comparing how sensitive societies are to extreme weather now versus 50 years ago, humanity may be no better prepared for the impacts of climate change today than in the 1970s.

Considering that hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect our planet to breach the internationally agreed 1.5C threshold by 2027 and temperatures to rise to at least 2.5C above pre-industrial levelsΒ thisΒ century, you’d assume we’d be scrambling to advance our adaptation efforts.

The reality is, however, not only is societyΒ notΒ adapting radically enough to the increasingly visible repercussions of environmental breakdown, but in most countries, it isn’t really adapting at all.

This is according to aΒ new studyΒ led by Stanford University researchers who compared how sensitive societies are to extreme weather now versus 50 years ago.

They found that humanity may be no better prepared today for the impacts of climate change than in the 1970s – despite how much technology has evolved since then, as well as our understanding of the crisis and its effects.

So far, vulnerable nations have been hit hardest by the heatwaves, floods, and other extreme weather events that are worsening annually. But soon, everyone will face the consequences of our reluctance to stop burning fossil fuels and to be significantly more conscious with our consumption habits.

What’s concerning is that, though countries which haven’t yet had to recuperate from devastation are well aware of how gruelling this process is, they still aren’t acting with enough urgency to upgrade infrastructure (or build more) that will be capable of withstanding mounting natural disasters.

The researchers theorise that this comes down to how adaptation is often viewed as being somewhat β€˜defeatist’ by activists and for this reason, they don’t fight for implementation as hard as they would with, say, protesting big coal, oil, and gas.

Rather than addressing the root causes of the emergency, they argue that adaptation measures are simply band-aid solutions to an issue that continues spiralling out of control and that it’s therefore necessary to remain laser-focused on cutting emissions.

While there’s truth to this, β€˜faced with the degradation of their habitat, the species that will survive will be those that are able to adapt,’ saysΒ Suzanne Bonamour, a postdoctoral researcher in ecology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

In other words,Β withoutΒ adaptation measures, we don’t stand a chance.

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Deputy Editor & Media Partnership Manager at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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