In communities across the country, the increasingly visible effects of climate change have launched a race to adapt with new infrastructure. Miami Beach has built water pumps and elevated roads. But often lost in this infrastructure discussion is the reality that adaptation—even paired with aggressive emissions reduction at a global scale—will not be enough to protect us from the financial costs of climate change. On Thursday, after spending the past several months touting his infrastructure plan as a landmark investment in tackling climate change, President Joe Biden recognized the mounting costs associated with a warming planet with a new executive order. Biden’s order is wide ranging. Measures to evaluate where and how the costs of climate change are stacking up are not only a logical compliment, they are critical.
By Justin Worland. Time. May 21, 2021.
