Americans Start Adapting to Climate Change. They’re Doing It Wrong
North Carolina is an example of one state trying to deal with rising seas. Its efforts are better than most, but not good enough.
The Riggings beachfront condominiums in the aftermath of Hurrican Dorian at Kure Beach, North Carolina, on Sept. 6.
Photographer: Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images
Americans took a long time to decide that adaptation to the changing climate was an idea worth exploring. It’s taken only a short time for them to start doing it wrong.
Decisions on projects and infrastructure are being made not on the basis of what’s effective or sensible in the long-run. And as is often the case, the poorest citizens are bearing the brunt of bungled policies. That’s the conclusion suggested by research published last week in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management.