Adapt or Die – Time is running out

Adapt or Die – Time is running out: It cannot be clearer, the just released IPCC AR6 Working Group 2 Report (AR6 WG2) on “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” paints a bleak picture for the future of mankind. UN Chief António Guterres said it’s “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership”.

Yet, its somber warnings received hardly any attention, drowned out by the drumbeat of war in Ukraine. It is truly horrific that millions have had to flee Ukraine, but climate change can’t take a back seat – 143 million people could be fleeing climate impacts by 2050. So, this month we’ve done the hard work for you by scouring the 3,675-page AR6 WG2 report and making two lists of eight that you can’t afford to miss – 8 Dire Impact Facts You Must Know & 8 Things You Must Know To Build An Effective Resilience Roadmap.

Also this month, since adaption is key to our future survival, we look at how two neighbours are managing water & climate risks – Singapore which is one of the best and Malaysia which just had some of its worst floods ever. Plus, check out the development opportunities for even developed places like Hong Kong and how China has the mother of all holistic plans with its first-ever 14th FYP for Water Security.

Climate change manifests through various forms of water and the AR6 WG2 report made it explicitly clear that water is the central theme of climate impacts. The report also made it clear that climate threats are escalating, irreversible, and reaching points of no return and it’s not just small island states, everyone will be impacted. It’s time to get on top of how serious things really are.

With 3-4 billion people facing a thirsty future, loss of food production, flood damages increasing up to 9x and much more, we must avoid overshooting 1.5°C and triggering further tipping points at all costs, as the consequences will be too great for us to adapt to. Get the full low down in our review.

While the risks are monumental and some impacts are already baked-in, the IPCC AR6 WG2 also provides a small dose of optimism, there is a window of opportunity to limit the onslaught of climate impacts. The window though is narrowing so we, everyone we, need to come all together for a “transformative” approach to resilience.

Find out what else the IPCC has to say about our fragmented adaptation approaches, maladaptation and how using the wrong timelines is like shooting ourselves in the foot. Get prepared with our 8 survival must knows from the report.

We all know that Singapore has been doing a good job on water but going forward it faces existential threats and so the nation still needs to up its game.

To do this, Singapore is adopting a long-term and integrated approach on climate. Find out more on what this entails from global water guru Professor Asit Biswas and PUB’s (Singapore’s national water agency) CEO Peter Joo Hee Ng. You cannot get more direct intel than this.

Meanwhile, it is a different story in neighbouring Malaysia, which is an example of escalating risks having been hit with two consecutive floods; repair works on already damaged infrastructure from the first flood costing almost US$240 million. Future resilience demands serious and urgent action.

To get a better insight on the adaptation challenges and ways forward for the Malaysian government we sat down with Dr Renard Siew, Climate Change Advisor at the Centre for Governance and Political Studies… see what he had to say.

Another flooding hotspot is Hong Kong’s Yuen Long, where the Northern Metropolis will be built. It is slated to home 2.5 million people yet, parts of it could be underwater. Which areas will be underwater at which levels? With roads blocked, will it trigger food security issues for Hong Kong? Find out more here.

Building resilience is always difficult, but it will be easier in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis than in already built cities like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. So, the Northern Metropolis is actually an opportunity for Hong Kong to leapfrog ahead with innovative “transformative” adaptation and could set a leading example for GBA and beyond.

Naturally, such an approach would align with the holistic, comprehensive and ambitious strategies of China’s first-ever 14thFYP for Water Security. We break down this umbrella plan that puts water as a top priority for the next “100 year” phase of ecological civilisation, into key bitesize intel to digest. Get on top of China’s efforts to ensure water availability plus protect against water shocks and see how it is trying not fail water so that water doesn’t fail it. 

Water dominates multiple chapters in the adaptation  focused  IPCC AR6 WG2. So, in a way, China’s inaugural long-term dedicated water security plan puts it ahead in terms of adaptation – see how this plan fits into China’s broader development plans and the AR6 WG2.

The AR6 WG2 report leaves us no doubt that we must step up adaptation, we must build back better. Yet only 6% of the G20’s COVID recovery stimulus of US$14 trillion was used to reduce carbon emissions; for perspective, China’s 2021 GDP was just under US$18 trillion. The leisurely pace at which we are ‘Racing to Net Zero’ means the “end of the world” future described in the AR6 WG2 is not going away. And massive gaps in adaption financing doesn’t help either.

UN Chief Guterres has reminded us that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is on “life support”, this means our future is on life support.

As the window of opportunity for action is rapidly narrowing, get a jumpstart by joining us and an all-star line-up of experts at our event @ SIWW 2022 on “Futureproofing Cities“. Find out more in our two panel sessions, “Evolving finance – from stress testing to closing gaps in adaptation finance” and “Waterproofing cities – achieving transformative resilience”.

Time is running out. Tick tock. We must put aside our differences to come together to save the planet. As we showed in our new report, “Together We Can” – small habit changes can make a big impact. We really are at the point of adapt or die so, let’s get adapting!