By Steven Cohen
The politics of climate change is tough. Unlike toxics or water pollution, climate change is a global problem that is caused everywhere and much of the impact will take place in the future. However, we are learning that some climate impacts have already arrived and are local. As my colleague Adam Sobel has found, the need to adapt to the current impact of climate change is becoming more and more obvious in many cities, largely through extreme weather events. And no matter how much we hear that we should be abandoning the coast, the fact is there is a human dimension to climate adaptation that needs to be factored into resiliency planning and programs. People value their homes and are often emotionally attached to their communities, which means they won’t abandon them. In some cases we may have no choice, but in most cases we will take the steps needed to preserve our homes and communities.