Deaths from climate-related natural disasters like fires, droughts, storms and floods have dropped by 98 percent over the past century, mainly because of improved warning systems and better evacuation plans. This means it would be far better to adapt to climate change than to try to stop it.
Fact:
It’s true that deaths from natural disasters have fallen by 98 percent over the past century, due to improvements in technology. But those improvements were made at a time when the Earth’s climate was stable. This will not be the case in the future, as global warming starts to disrupt the Jet Stream, the Gulf Stream, deep ocean circulation and other key elements of the climate system. And even if we can limit human casualties through improved warning systems and better evacuation plans, we cannot do the same for the animal world. In the end, we are dependent on a properly functioning ecosystem, and this will not be the case if temperatures continue to rise. It’s also worth remembering that all of human history has been based on a stable climate. To believe that new technology can compensate for ending this is to gamble with our future.