Climate adaptation is bringing sceptics in the US and UK onboard - but is it fast enough?

Lynn Morris in the Ecologist: Some of the more conservative areas of the US like Florida are now adapting to climate change yet they are still unwilling to accept the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions In Punta Gorda, a city on the West coast of Florida, the streets are interlaced with canals and retirees move there to enjoy the warm climate and good fishing. It is a low-lying area vulnerable to sea level rise and consequently, Punta Gorda became the first city in Florida to adopt a climate change adaptation plan.

In the words of Environmental scientist Whitney Grey of the South West Florida Regional Planning Council, ‘It's a particularly conservative population, we don’t talk about why climate change is happening.’

…Reaching scientific consensus on the causes and likely consequences of climate change was challenging. But communicating this is proving equally difficult. ?In the UK, the government says it requires an ‘urgent and radical response’ but Governments shy away from binding agreements at international conferences and individuals continue to commute by car and take long distance flights for pleasure. The problem lies in how to communicate the ‘massive threat’ in a way that inspires action rather than apathy.

In the United States the problem is particularly acute and climate change is a highly politicised issue. Although of all the developed countries the US is likely to feel the effects of climate change worst. Perhaps, it is not just the language that needs to change. The message might be coming from the wrong medium. What if rather than hearing about climate change from a political entity you may not support, it came from someone trusted like a vicar? In the US, the Interfaith Power and Light project uses faith communities to disseminate climate change messages. The organisation has reached almost 10,000 congregations in 38 states across the US and is continually expanding its reach…

The coast at Punta Gorda, Florida, shot by Willy Horsch, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license