The Big Problem
Climate change is already having a devastating impact on humans. It’s believed that global climate change accounts for over 315,000 additional deaths per year, caused by phenomena such as extreme weather events, drought, and famine, and vector-borne diseases.1 Recent studies predict that almost a third of the world’s population could be facing temperatures inhospitable to life within the next 50 years.4 And the signs of this outcome are already showing; drastic temperature and precipitation changes mean that millions are losing access to safe drinking water or sufficient nutrition.3 All of this is costing the world $16 million per hour.2
Yet even in the face of escalating risk, communities hold extraordinary capacity to adapt. Strengthening the ability to prepare for, withstand, and recover from climate-related shocks and stresses isn’t only a question of resources or technology. Rather, it’s about understanding how people think, decide, and act together, so that collective action becomes as integral to climate resilience as infrastructure. Leveraging our understanding of human behavior is the key to supporting communities and societies to adjust and adapt to our planetary crisis.
