If we can't do anything about the rampage of climate change because many refuse to reduce their carbon emissions, then the only other option we have is to prepare for the worst that climate change will bring. And many cities in the world are doing just that.
The existential threat to human life posed by climate change is increasingly penetrating the public consciousness. Experts see this as an opportunity: Humans were able to create a system that brought the Earth to the brink of collapse. We are entirely capable of designing a system that will save it. And there is an increasing number of indications that we will ultimately succeed.
It is a question of will, of politics, but above all, of money. Climate change is already costing cities across the world a lot of money. New York alone has budgeted $20 billion for "climate resilience" measures, including making rooftops greener, protections against heat damage, planting more trees and buying more low-emission buses.
(Image credit: David Gary/Reuters)
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