A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action

The discourse surrounding climate change and the adaptation solutions needed to mitigate its impacts is often framed in terms of future time horizons. However, it has become increasingly clear that impacts are occurring today, so public awareness and engagement are critical. Despite the growing reco...

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Main Authors: Thomas H. Beery, Ryan D. Bergstrom
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Climate
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1566104/full
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author Thomas H. Beery
Ryan D. Bergstrom
author_facet Thomas H. Beery
Ryan D. Bergstrom
author_sort Thomas H. Beery
collection DOAJ
description The discourse surrounding climate change and the adaptation solutions needed to mitigate its impacts is often framed in terms of future time horizons. However, it has become increasingly clear that impacts are occurring today, so public awareness and engagement are critical. Despite the growing recognition of the worsening climate crisis, the gap between public understanding and approval of adaptation strategies remains a significant obstacle to community resilience in many locations. One country where broad-based public support for climate adaptation is emerging is Sweden, and one region within Sweden that is acutely experiencing the immediate impacts of climate change is Skåne. This perspective highlights a critical opportunity for decision-makers in southern Sweden to capitalize on public support to implement adaptation solutions now. While doing so, we argue that while climate adaptation may look different elsewhere, the combination of historical vulnerabilities, climate threats, public support, and governance structures is universal. Thus, the lessons learned in southern Sweden are generalizable to other similar contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-dfca5cd50abb4e8281aa2a5d60ca97e82025-08-20T03:15:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-07-01710.3389/fclim.2025.15661041566104A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation actionThomas H. Beery0Ryan D. Bergstrom1School of Natural Sciences, Kristianstad University, Sustainable Multifunctional Landscape group, Kristianstad, SwedenDepartment of Geography, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, United StatesThe discourse surrounding climate change and the adaptation solutions needed to mitigate its impacts is often framed in terms of future time horizons. However, it has become increasingly clear that impacts are occurring today, so public awareness and engagement are critical. Despite the growing recognition of the worsening climate crisis, the gap between public understanding and approval of adaptation strategies remains a significant obstacle to community resilience in many locations. One country where broad-based public support for climate adaptation is emerging is Sweden, and one region within Sweden that is acutely experiencing the immediate impacts of climate change is Skåne. This perspective highlights a critical opportunity for decision-makers in southern Sweden to capitalize on public support to implement adaptation solutions now. While doing so, we argue that while climate adaptation may look different elsewhere, the combination of historical vulnerabilities, climate threats, public support, and governance structures is universal. Thus, the lessons learned in southern Sweden are generalizable to other similar contexts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1566104/fullclimate changeadaptationmitigationresiliencepublic readinessclimate action
spellingShingle Thomas H. Beery
Ryan D. Bergstrom
A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
Frontiers in Climate
climate change
adaptation
mitigation
resilience
public readiness
climate action
title A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
title_full A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
title_fullStr A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
title_full_unstemmed A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
title_short A climate of public readiness: climate adaptation action
title_sort climate of public readiness climate adaptation action
topic climate change
adaptation
mitigation
resilience
public readiness
climate action
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1566104/full
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