Scientists say that, no matter what steps we take in the coming decades, we have already changed the climate in irrevocable ways that have been locked into the ecosystem and cannot be easily reversed. This means that we need to be aware of, and learn how to live with, the impacts of climate change disruption right now.
It will mean dealing with more frequent and extreme weather events as well as the effects that they have on the frequency of natural events such as floods, hurricanes and wildfires, for example. The impacts of climate disruption will require people to reassess almost every aspect of their lives – where and how homes are built, the availability of power and water, the food they eat and how it is sourced among many other issues. It will require people to plan for the future based on consideration of the collective good of all in mind, rather than simply their own convenience.