The Free

Economic and Social Strategies for Adapting to Worst-Case Climate Change

A world with temperatures 3 to 5°C higher than pre-industrial levels would be vastly different from the one we inhabit today.

On 22nd October 2024 by Garry Rogers at garryrogers.com via https://wp.me/pIJl9-EyC at https://wp.me/pIJl9-EyC Telegram t.me/thefreeonline

The World Bank[i] cautions that many regions would be unable to adapt to such a temperature increase. Ecosystems would collapse, crops would fail, extreme weather events would become more frequent and severe, and rising sea levels would reshape coastlines and inundate major cities. The social and economic foundations of global civilization would be strained to their limits.

This article outlines four key strategies that towns and farms can implement to prepare for and adapt to a changed world. While these strategies alone cannot fully prepare us for the scale of the impending disruption, they represent essential steps towards building resilience and maintaining some semblance of societal stability.

Universal Basic Income (UBI) and Job Guarantee Programs

As climate change disrupts traditional economic sectors and displaces workers, we need new systems to ensure basic economic security. At the local level, communities can experiment with and advocate for these programs.

Universal Basic Income (UBI) could provide a crucial safety net as people transition between precarious forms of employment[ii]. For communities, this might involve piloting a small-scale UBI program, starting with the most vulnerable community members, partnering with nearby communities to create a regional UBI pilot, or advocating at the state and federal level for UBI policies.

Alternatively, a job guarantee program focused on climate adaptation and mitigation work could both provide employment and address crucial climate-related needs[iii]. This could involve creating local government jobs focused on climate resilience projects or establishing a community corps that provides training and employment in climate-adaptive skills.

Coastal Adaptation for Worst-Case Climate Change September 16, 2024 In “Adaptation for Climate Change”

These programs will be essential not just for individual wellbeing, but for maintaining social stability in the face of severe economic disruption. Without them, there is a risk of widespread poverty, social unrest, and the collapse of local economies.