The Guardian view on adapting to the climate crisis: it demands political honesty about extreme weather | Editorial

"The record-breaking 252mph winds of Hurricane Melissa that devastated Caribbean islands at the end of October were made five times more likely by the climate crisis. Scorching wildfire weather in Spain and Portugal during the summer was made 40 times more likely, while June's heatwave in England was made 100 times more likely. Attribution science has made one thing clear: global heating is behind today's extreme weather."

"What we can do to minimise, or at least reduce, the risks to life from such events as well as more gradual changes is what climate adaptation experts think about all the time. The alarming consensus is that we are not doing anywhere near enough. The result is paid for in lives: floods and cyclonic storms across Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia left hundreds dead at the end of November."

Attribution science links greenhouse-gas-driven warming to increased likelihood of extreme events: Hurricane Melissa's 252mph winds were made five times more likely, wildfire weather in Spain and Portugal 40 times more likely, and England's June heatwave 100 times more likely. Rising global heat produces record heatwaves and more violent storms with increasing frequency. Current adaptation funding and planning remain far too limited. COP30 projected annual adaptation needs at $120bn by 2035 with unclear payment mechanisms, leaving vulnerable, indebted countries to divert resources to disaster response rather than green energy and resilience measures.

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