Environmental scientist and activist Kaveh Madani and Michele Wucker teamed up for an Intelligence Squared debate, “Can Humans Adapt to Climate Change?” with Danish author Bjorn Lomborg and economist Matthew E. Kahn over whether climate alarmism is warranted and how humanity should respond.
The dangers of climate change are “no longer over the horizon.” Humanity may soon pass the “point of no return.” These are the phrases U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used to describe what he called an “utterly inadequate” global response to rising temperatures. In fact, world leaders and environmental advocates have long demanded structural overhauls to the way we consume and produce. Standing in the way, Guterres noted, is a sheer lack of will.
But if we were to decisively act, and restructure our global economy with the climate in mind, who would shoulder the burden? Is it actually feasible? Assuming finite resources, where does climate change rank in the pecking order of global problems? Or should our collective focus orient more toward humans’ capacity for adaptation? In this timely debate, Intelligence Squared and the Richmond Forum convene four leading global thinkers on climate science, geopolitics, and international economics to take on this question: Can humans adapt to climate change?
This debate took place in front of a live audience in partnership with the Richmond Forum on April 30, and was released publicly on July 1.
Watch via the Intelligence Squared website, where you can vote before and after the debate– or below.
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