Societal Adaptation to Climate Change
Human societies have adapted to environmental changes throughout their existence. Indeed, humans have combined adaptation and control to survive. If the environmental changes are insurmountable, humans adapt by migration, or if they remain in the same area, employ changes in shelter, diet, agriculture and other needs. They may also change the environment to maintain conditions, such as erecting structures to prevent flooding, survive storms and irrigate soil. Climate will indeed change in the coming decades. Some changes will be the result of natural events, such as solar activity, and some will result from human enterprises, including the emissions of greenhouse gases. Several of the array of actions that may be available for these adaptations are discussed in this chapter.
