Climate adaptation an existential necessity

April 14, 2026

There is no doubt some billionaires are investing in survival bunkers. Perhaps they’ve read Tim Winton’s 2024 dystopian novel Juice, where descendants of fossil fuel executives are hunted. Given the relentless rise of greenhouse gases, their persistence in the atmosphere, and the sustained increase in global average temperatures, it’s hardly surprising attention is turning to adaptation. As far back as 2010, James Lovelock, who developed the Gaia theory, argued humans may be too short-sighted to prevent severe climate impacts this century.

So why is David Spratt so surprised by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change outlining adaptation planning for 2.8–3.3°C of warming by 2100? Spratt contends such framing risks weakening mitigation efforts and undermining the Paris Agreement. Yet as the world spends trillions on war and allows well-funded AI-driven disinformation to flourish, only supreme optimists believe holding warming below 2°C remains likely.

Regrettably, climate adaptation is becoming an existential necessity. Even relocating to Tasmania may not suffice. For a local perspective, see Friends of the Earth’s Australian Climate Adaptation Map. It connects climate science to on-the-ground action and helps people see how adaptation can be done where they live.

References Billionaires https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly17834524o Lovelock https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/mar/29/james-lovelock-climate-change FOE https://climateadapt.australianmap.net/