During dinner last week, a friend (let’s call him Steve),
who is a climate change economist and consults internationally on the subject,
argued against promoting adaptation to the changing climate. He does acknowledge
that climate change is already under way and that we need to both adapt and put
the brakes on (and possibly even, he says, throw the process into reverse).
Yet, he fears that emphasizing adapting to it will be as if we are taking it as
a given and won’t make the painful policy and personal efforts required to
reduce our carbon footprint.
Steve makes a strong argument. However….