Recently, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have claimed the importance of imminent adaptation instead of risk prevention in their latest report; whether governments act now, or we will have to pay later the consequences of their inaction.

Solastalgia

The report introduced the term of "solastalgia", a feeling of unease caused by an impression of retard. Your lifestyle seems to be obsolete compared to the climatic changes the planet endures, you feel like the earth doesn't wait for you, and changes even before you get used to its environment. While solastalgia is perceived as an environmental issue et northern civilisations, it may seem ridiculous compared to the risks these climatic changes represent for the most vulnerable populations. Indeed, high temperatures have already lead to serious natural events: torrential rains, droughts and wildfires threatens everyday people all over the world, causing unprecedented humanitarian crises, displacing populations which already suffer from poverty, food insecurity and political or social exclusion.

Prevention: a long-term solution for a planet on fire

In such a context, prevention should no longer be a solution to these problems. Not only does prevention aim for the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions in the long term, but it also puts a veil on adaptation, which can cope more efficiently with some of these issues. According to the IPCC, countries who prone prevention over adaptation will inevitably fall behind those who prefer action through adaptation by the following decade. Overall, adaptation is in fact the best solution in the short term considering the urgency of the situation. One example is the case of Ahmedabad, the first Indian activist who changed building regulations and adopted an early warning system to stop the trapping of heat and adapt to upcoming extreme temperatures and heatwaves. The problem with adaptation is that some are already doing it, and there is increasing evidence of an "adaptation gap": actually, as the climate worsens, the ditch between needed adaptation to counter global warming and those who are being undertaken widens everyday. Therefore, narrowing this widening gap is a crucial task to follow a changing climate.

Another risk linked to adaptations is the illusion of security provided by those. Even though efforts to adapt have significantly increased in number and ambition, unplanned adaptations can bring additional complications. Lowering immediate risks is one thing, but ensuring that mesures don't provide a false sense of security is another mission for governments. For instance, starting an irrigation system in a region touched by droughts could be a great initiative. However, side-effects must be taken into consideration, since such systems can easily lead to overconsumption of river water, leaving population downstream with less.

According to Maarten Van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center:

In choosing the right solutions, we need to be thinking about more than just one climate hazard and also about the range of side-effects of the interventions we undertake

The sooner action is taken, the better we are able to mitigate negative effects of global warming. Overall, adaptation is part of human nature. Denying its importance means accepting the extinction of our specie.