How to stop being surprised by unprecedented weather

We see unprecedented weather causing widespread impacts across the world. In this perspective, we provide an overview of methods that help anticipate unprecedented weather hazards that can contribute to stop being surprised. We then discuss disaster management and climate adaptation practices, their gaps, and how the methods to anticipate unprecedented weather may help build resilience. We stimulate thinking about transformative adaptation as a foundation for long-term resilience to unprecedented weather, supported by incremental adaptation through upgrading existing infrastructure, and reactive adaptation through short-term early action and disaster response. Because in the end, we should take responsibility to build resilience rather than being surprised by unprecedented weather.

Publication Details

Journal
Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
Published
2025-03-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000729251
Primary Topic
Species Distribution and Climate Change
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

How to stop being surprised by unprecedented weather

Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
Species Distribution and Climate Change
article

How to stop being surprised by unprecedented weather

article en

Abstract

We see unprecedented weather causing widespread impacts across the world. In this perspective, we provide an overview of methods that help anticipate unprecedented weather hazards that can contribute to stop being surprised. We then discuss disaster management and climate adaptation practices, their gaps, and how the methods to anticipate unprecedented weather may help build resilience. We stimulate thinking about transformative adaptation as a foundation for long-term resilience to unprecedented weather, supported by incremental adaptation through upgrading existing infrastructure, and reactive adaptation through short-term early action and disaster response. Because in the end, we should take responsibility to build resilience rather than being surprised by unprecedented weather.

Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 56%
Species Distribution and Climate Change
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