YES, thank you, Sandra. The impacts we’re seeing are at just over 1°C average global warming, and countries are currently on track for much more. There’s a degree and frequency of impact beyond which there’s no way to adapt, and some parts of the world — we’ve been writing a lot about Pakistan lately — are already there. In that sense, yes, absolutely, we need to build resilience in so many different ways. But for that to work, we have to recognize that mitigation is the new adaptation and make fast, deep emission reductions the top priority every day.

While I agree with the Prime Minister that it is necessary for decision-making on how to repair Fiona’s damage must evidence adapting to climate change, I also insist that to focus solely on adaptation is a serious mistake. As long as science is holding out some hope for mitigation, today and tomorrow, our governments’ top priority must be making today’s and tomorrow’s decisions result in climate change mitigation. Not doing this Prime Minister gives you a failing grades for governing compassionately and justly.