We have to talk about Adaptation, with Ben Cooke of The Times

Outro Track of the Day

For reasons that should become clear…https://open.spotify.com/track/5PGYWv9Xp4IraLSDs8h1bY?si=1b23870ffdad4629

Ben Cooke, Earth Editor at The Times and returning champion guest on Wicked Problems, walks us through why his news outlet just devoted a whole series to climate adaptation.

Over the past 18 months, a big thesis of this project is that a certain amount of climate risk and climate effects are already happening. Very few people are willing to talk about it publicly, which I think has put all of us at a huge disadvantage.

Because talking about adaptation takes you from some pretty abstract notions about mitigating emissions, CO2 levels and average global temperatures and becomes a really local thing. What's gonna happen in my town? What should we done about it? Who's gonna pay for that?

Seeing the series of reporting on adaptation in the UK’s paper of record, particularly with the scene-setter from Science Editor Ben Spencer and cobylined with Anna Dowell, to me says we’ve really hit a big moment.

Some other pieces in the series that we discuss:

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/solar-panels-farmland-food-security-times-earth-wdb6dlhk8

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/reforestation-flood-defence-farmers-times-earth-8wgzqjdg7

https://www.thetimes.com/article/f6181881-35b2-4333-97ae-2396ca835727

Yeah But What Can I Do?

Funnily enough, as we discussed in last episode with Ivo Mensch of the Climate Majority Project’s Forum, you might stop doomscrolling and hang out in meatspace with other people who see now for what it is but are not queuing up to throw soup at plexiglass protectors of famous Van Gogh paintings.

Talking to your neighbours about how to save each other in a natural catastrophe far more likely because of climate change that is here now is a very different chat from ‘you should go vegan to save some future version of the sky’.

Tickets are still on sale for their event 15-16th March at Limehouse Town Hall in London.

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