Fernando DePaolis

Humanity is confronting the global climate crisis through two main approaches: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation refers to actions aimed at reducing the root causes of climate change, primarily global warming. The primary mitigation strategy involves decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Adaptation, on the other hand, encompasses existing and proposed initiatives that aim to minimize the adverse effects of current climate change manifestations. Examples of adaptation actions already in place include coastal armoring (e.g., seawalls), retreat from flood-prone areas, increasing urban shade, and decarbonizing transportation networks and food systems. While international organizations like the UN have spearheaded mitigation efforts through agreements with national governments and international NGOs, adaptation is primarily the responsibility of a diverse range of entities, including local, regional, and national government agencies, local and regional non-governmental organizations, a limited number of private corporations, and increasingly, individual citizens. Consequently, adaptation involves a wide range of specialized professional practices. Professionals such as agronomists, foresters, landscape architects, urban planners, geographers, economists,...