Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon, is famous for his “we’ve always adapted, we’ll adapt” view of climate change.  And in the face of inadequate efforts to implement global climate policies, there is rapidly growing interest in topics like adaptation and resilience. Because mitigation is so difficult, it would be easy to simply fall back on the adaptation option. 

There is no question that adaptation will be an important component of any response to climate change. Climate change is already underway, and adaptation is inevitable. That said, key questions remain:

• What are the adaptation implications of human societies having evolved during the last 10,000 years of remarkable global climate stability

• How fast could sea levels rise, and what adaptation strategies would work best?  

• What are the economics of adaptation?  

• When will be encounter adaptation limits in different areas

• What are the uncertainty bands around the key physical risks of climate change, and are they being adequately accounted for in adaptation planning?

• For purposes of adaptation planning, which are the “right” climate scenarios to account for?

• How should business decision-makers think about climate change adaptation? 

• What are climate change “exceedance curves,” and why are they a key tool for adaptation planning?

• Can business and society adapt to systemic risks?

• What is the “Deep Adaptation” movement, and what impact is it having? 

These are just a few of the questions when it comes to climate change adaptation.   

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