Adapting to Climate Change?

John Krebs and Julia Brown (an ex- and current chair of the UK's Adaptation Committee) pose two questions. The first is 'are the recent extremes of weather (in the UK) a temporary blip or are they part of a long-term pattern?' The second is 'If so, are we doing enough to make us more resilient for future weather?' (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/28/britain-weather-extreme-prepare-flooding-heatwaves). Krebs and Brown's answers to the two questions are, respectively, 'almost certainly, yes' and 'certainly not'. Both feel very strongly that the gap between risk and preparedness is actually widening. The UK still builds new housing on flood plains. It retains much of a, now inadequate, Victorian sewage system to serve many cities. The UK's roads often cannot cope with the volumes of surface water. Coastal and river flood defences are frequently over-topped. The UK's rail system is subjected to numerous weather-related delays (with landslides and fallen trees). After violent storms, properties, in parts of the country, often lose their electricity supplies for days or weeks etc, etc. Preparing for extreme weather events, of course, costs money. It also, however, ultimately saves expense by reducing damage. Investments will, however, have to be made, as there is zero chance of there being a reduction in the number of extreme weather events. The costs of increasing any preparedness in more exposed areas of the globe, are likely to be very much higher.