Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, massive floods-the dangers of climate change are "no longer over the horizon" and humanity may soon pass the "point of no return." These are the phrases that Secretary-General António Guterres of the United Nations used in a 2019 speech to describe what he called an "utterly inadequate" international response to global warming. Despite the calls of scientists, environmental advocates, and many world leaders to alter how we extract and consume resources, the global community has taken few concrete steps in the intervening years to address the issue. If climate change continues at its present pace, it will test and challenge humanity's capacity for adaptation and survival. Can humans adapt to climate change?
Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, massive floods-the dangers of climate change are "no longer over the horizon" and humanity may soon pass the "point of no return." These are the phrases that Secretary-General António Guterres of the United Nations used in a 2019 speech to describe what he called an "utterly inadequate" international response to global warming. Despite the calls of scientists, environmental advocates, and many world leaders to alter how we extract and consume resources, the global community has taken few concrete steps in the intervening years to address the issue. If climate change continues at its present pace, it will test and challenge humanity's capacity for adaptation and survival. Can humans adapt to climate change?
General Note
Originally released by Intelligence Squared US, 2022.
Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on September 19, 2022.