Photo of Cyclone Idai west of Madagascar taken by Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission. Courtesy of the European Space Agency.

Let’s be honest: the more time passes, the more bleak the future of Earth’s climate looks. Warming, drought, rising sea levels, and devastating natural disasters like hurricanes are all very likely to increase in both frequency and intensity as a result of the ongoing climate crisis. 

While stronger climate action could curb the effects of warming and save millions of lives, long-term, effective climate mitigation strategies seem further and further out of reach as times goes on. (And if you were wondering, climate mitigation strategies are strategies used to minimize present and future climate impacts.)  Even if the emissions of greenhouse gasses were to stop today, global warming would continue for decades if not centuries. The time for mitigation efforts alone has passed. 

This doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Strong mitigation efforts simply need to be implemented in tandem with climate adaptation strategies.

Climate adaptation strategies are just what they sound like: they’re  adjustments across different aspects of society, like infrastructure and local economies, in anticipation of, or response to, climate impacts. The good news is that many different locales across the globe have been developing climate adaptation strategies, for nearly a decade if not longer. New York City, for instance, launched its ambitious $19.5 billion climate plan in 2013. This plan included the restoration of homes and businesses destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, the researching and development of floodwalls to combat rising sea levels, swampland restoration, and the improvement of ferry and subway systems. 

For my beat, I’ll be discussing the past, present, and future  climate adaptation. I’ll be looking at how cities and states are currently planning for climate adaptation, and what they’re considering for the future. Some coastal cities, like Boston, Massachusetts and Norfolk, Virginia, will face rising sea levels and more extreme hurricanes. More agricultural places like the nation of Senegal are looking at how to adjust their farming practices in the face of climate change. I’ll also be looking at both governmental and nongovernmental work for climate adaptation strategies in forms like infrastructure proposals, nongovernmental research, and community organizing.