Beyond 1.5C: Pioneering Climate Resilience with CSV

In 2022, the UN’s Environment Agency said what many had already suspected, that there is no “credible pathway to 1.5C.” The 1.5C limit represents global average surface warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, and was the goal of the Paris Agreement, in order to avert the severe global impacts of climate change. Breaching this critical limit means that while the fight to reduce carbon emissions continues, humanity also faces the need to adapt to different, and more difficult, climate conditions.

While society goes forward with fossil fuels to continue our “business as usual,” the reality is that the extreme climate conditions we face will be challenging for individuals to cope with. Insurance companies, experts at anticipating the future, are already signaling these challenges by exiting many markets and raising prices. Extreme disasters, including unprecedented wildfires, floods, and storms, are already wreaking havoc on people’s homes across the world. Extreme temperatures are already threatening lives as well. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the last 50 years have seen a dramatic increase in weather-related disasters, with a disaster related to a weather, climate or water hazard occurring every day on average – killing 115 people and causing US$ 202 million in losses daily.

The good news is that through a new movement, ClimateSafe Villages, people are coming together to start to prepare for these worsening conditions. For example, ClimateSafe Villages advisors are researching innovative building methods and materials that can withstand extreme disasters. This movement comprises climate change scientists, bio-sustainability experts, engineers, and everyday people pitching in to contribute what they can to our future survival. By creating models and guides, CSV is building a practical, actionable pathway for climate resilience that can be accessible to all.

For example, CSV is currently exploring earth-sheltered homes, which have roots that trace back to ancient times and have been used by various indigenous and traditional cultures around the world. These structures are known for their natural insulation, energy efficiency, and their use of local materials, which still make them a practical choice for various climates and settings. They are particularly resilient to challenges like wind and fires.

Yet, preparing for certain impacts, like those related to water, presents even greater challenges. Water, for example, requires more than just innovative architecture. Climate change means that while water becomes scarcer, paradoxically, the risk of flooding increases as well. That’s because rising temperatures hold more moisture in the atmosphere, but that also means that when it rains, it pours in destructive ways. The World Resources Institute warns that even under the most optimistic climate scenarios, by 2050, an additional 1 billion people are expected to live with extremely high water stress. How can we prepare for future water challenges of this kind? CSV promotes community systems to capture, store, and preserve water in drought times, and to capture and divert rain when it comes down. These systems require careful approaches to agriculture, graywater uses, and pipes and drains.

Another major challenge is food availability. As climate change worsens, crops are impacted. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, extreme heat, changing rainfall and other climate change impacts will make it harder to grow staple crops in the U.S. as soon as 2030. In recent years, we've already seen how extreme weather events are affecting crop yields. But building food resilience for yourself and your community is no easy feat. That’s why ClimateSafe Villages is building food resilience models that are regenerative and healthy for the environment, but are more adaptable and resilient to changing environmental conditions like heat and drought. ClimateSafe Villages combines low-tech, traditional permaculture approaches with indoor food growing techniques. We are also proponents of seed-saving and food storage technologies, which provide another layer of resilience.

Many people are finding CSV through a simple web search, because they are concerned that not enough is being done to protect their communities from the worst effects of climate change. They are often concerned for their children, or grandchildren, and want to be a part of something more realistic for the future.

Ultimately, we are encouraged and hopeful seeing people come together in honest conversations about the serious challenges of climate change, without the dismissive bury-your-head-in-the-sand “hopium” we might be used to, in order to create solutions for their communities and for the planet.

Discover more about this movement at ClimateSafeVillages.org, and consider joining a local community effort or even our team of volunteers and advisors. Anyone can make a difference.
Facing climate change is daunting, but with supportive communities like this, we can navigate these challenges together.