Climate change is mostly about bad weather becoming worse over time, to the detriment of humans and the rest of the biosphere. However, one doesn’t have to believe in climate change to care about bad weather and its impacts. Nor does one need to believe in climate change to want to fix problems associated with today’s bad weather. And since problem-solving capacity builds over time, whatever is learned fixing today’s problems will help us fix similar problems in the future.
Bottom line: academics, policymakers and organizations focused on climate change adaptation should welcome the contributions of anyone who can help solve problems associated with bad weather. It doesn’t matter what they believe about climate change. And these individuals and groups should avoid creating hostile work environments for the climate change skeptics and shruggers* in their midst. Agree to disagree and get on with your work.
And in the US alone, there’s plenty of work to do addressing the problems associated with bad weather, e.g:
Flooding: Over three-quarters of insurance payouts by the National Flood Insurance Program have been paid out to five states: Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey and New York.
Drought: States that have experienced drought at least 30% of the weeks over the past 20 years include: California, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
Extreme weather: The US regions most vulnerable to extreme weather include the Southeast (hurricanes, heat, rising sea levels), the Midwest (severe thunderstorms, tornadoes), the Northern Great Plains (drought, floods, wildfires, hail), and the West Coast (wildfires, drought). The Northeast and the South are also vulnerable to extreme weather events, including hurricanes, extreme heat, and flooding.
Unpredictable weather: U.S. regions known for unpredictable weather include the Great Plains (dramatic temperature swings), Upper Midwest (hard-to-predict thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes), California (variable rainfall), and “Tornado Alley“ stretching from South Dakota through Oklahoma and northern Texas.
Extreme Urban Heat: The 20 hottest large cities in the U.S. are Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno, Tucson, Austin, Sacramento, Dallas, Riverside, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Memphis, St. Louis, Houston, Tampa, Honolulu, and New Orleans. These are cities with the most 100°+ days or the most 90°+ days combined with high humidity.
Anyone who works to reduce or reverse the damage caused by these current weather-related events is contributing to the development of effective climate change adaptations, whether that’s their intention or not.
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* Shrug: to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty. A climate change shrugger is someone who shrugs off concerns about climate change, for various reasons.