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Public Participation and Climate Adaptation in China

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

Release Date: 02/02/2026

Need Some Climate Inspiration? Head North to Canada

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons travels to the in Canada, where he keynoted an undergraduate climate conference bringing together students and faculty to explore a wide range of climate challenges. Doug’s conversations with conference organizers and focus on how climate issues—particularly climate policy—are being taught at the university level, and the goals behind creating this kind of interdisciplinary learning experience. The episode also features interviews with students presenting their work, offering a window into the ideas and perspectives emerging from the next...

Climate Adaptation Is Having a Moment—But Are We Ready?

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons speaks with , founder of Hazelwood Network, to explore whether climate adaptation is finally moving into the mainstream—or if we’re seeing familiar signals that never quite add up. From growing attention in finance, consulting, and platforms like LinkedIn to real-world action in places like Singapore and across emerging markets, adaptation is gaining traction. But that momentum remains fragmented—spread across investors, governments, and innovators without clear coordination. At the same time, a major bottleneck persists: we still don’t know...

Can Climate Adaptation Prevent Environmental Extremism—or Just Delay It?

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons speaks with , professor at American University and author of , to explore a question at the edge of today’s climate conversation: what drives movements to escalate? Drawing on his research on political violence and environmental activism, Zeitzoff traces the evolution of the radical environmental movement—from sabotage in the 1990s and early 2000s to today’s climate justice movement focused on mass protest and disruption. The conversation explores how tactics shift, what motivates activists, and why—despite intensifying climate...

An Uninsurable Country: What Rising Climate Risk Means for Homeowners with NRDC

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons takes a deep dive into the growing climate-driven insurance crisis reshaping housing and communities across the United States. Doug first speaks with Rob Moore and Alfonso Pating of the Natural Resources Defense Council about their new reports on the nation’s emerging insurability crisis—why premiums are rising, insurers are retreating from high-risk areas, and what state policies can do to reduce risk and keep homes insurable. Then filmmaker George Siegal joins the show to discuss his documentary Built to Last: Buyer Beware, which reveals how many...

The Endangerment Finding Explained — and What It Means for Climate Adaptation

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons is joined by Professor of Emory University School of Law to unpack the repeal of the Clean Air Act’s and what it means for climate governance in the United States. Long considered the legal backbone of federal climate regulation, its rescission raises fundamental questions about agency authority, the role of the courts, and the durability of federal climate policy. Mark explains the legal theory behind the repeal, how it intersects with Supreme Court precedent, and what likely comes next in federal court. The conversation also explores the...

Advancing Adaptation with the McKinsey Global Institute

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode 247 of , host Doug Parsons hosts , partner at the , for an inside look at how one of the world’s most influential private research institutions is approaching climate adaptation. Drawing from MGI’s recent report, Advancing Adaptation, the conversation explores what it would actually cost to protect people and economies from escalating heat, flooding, drought, and wildfire — and why investment still falls short even when the economic case is strong.. The discussion also examines how ideas developed within a private firm travel into real-world decision-making, and why...

Public Participation and Climate Adaptation in China

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode 246 of , host Doug Parsons hosts , assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, for a closer look at how climate adaptation actually emerges in China. Drawing on her research after the devastating 2021 Henan flood, Shen shows how public demand for adaptation surged—not through climate change language, but through calls for safety, infrastructure, and risk reduction, often using formal government channels. The conversation highlights adaptation as a lived governance issue rather than an ideological one, and surfaces practical lessons about public participation,...

The Heat Will Still Kill You First with Jeff Goodell

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons is joined by legendary climate journalist , author of for a conversation about what’s happened since the book came out — and what hasn’t. Extreme heat is no longer a future risk or a background climate issue; it’s a present-day killer that exposes deep failures in public health, labor protections, urban design, and climate communication. We also talk about how recent political shifts have pushed the U.S. further backward on heat response, weakening protections and leaving communities more exposed just as the risks accelerate. This isn’t a...

Arizona’s Climate Change Adaptation Playbook: Heat, Water, Wildfire

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , we adapt in the southwest! Welcome to the desert proving ground for climate adaptation. In my home state of Arizona—Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff—we get right down on the ground to see how communities are beating extreme heat, planning responsibly for water in a changing climate, and living with wildfire risk without losing what makes these places home. You’ll hear street-level fixes that change daily life—and travel anywhere—plus a clear playbook cities can steal now: run the hottest months smarter, put shade where people actually stand and walk, and build...

North: The Future of Post-Climate America

America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast

In episode of , host Doug Parsons welcomes back recurring guest and leading adaptation scholar to discuss his new book, (Oxford Univesity Press). Keenan examines how the United States is already changing through mobility, shifting markets, governance pressures, and evolving cultural identities. Doug and Jesse unpack why adaptation is not just a set of technical responses to climate impacts but a broader transformation in how communities understand stability, opportunity, and belonging. They explore the limits of local governments, the growing influence of market-led adaptation, and...

More Episodes

In episode 246 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons hosts Dr. Shiran Victoria Shen, assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, for a closer look at how climate adaptation actually emerges in China. Drawing on her research after the devastating 2021 Henan flood, Shen shows how public demand for adaptation surged—not through climate change language, but through calls for safety, infrastructure, and risk reduction, often using formal government channels. The conversation highlights adaptation as a lived governance issue rather than an ideological one, and surfaces practical lessons about public participation, the limits of top-down approaches, and what governments everywhere tend to respond to when climate risk becomes impossible to ignore.

Transcript of interview here.

Key Themes Covered in This Episode

How public demand for climate adaptation emerges after extreme disasters
Why people often ask for adaptation without using “climate change” language
The 2021 Henan flood as a national turning point for adaptation awareness in China
Public participation and formal governance channels, including the Local Leaders’ Message Board
Differences between adaptation and mitigation from a governance perspective
The limits of top-down adaptation and where citizen influence realistically ends
What adaptation in China reveals about public engagement globally
Lessons for policymakers, planners, and communicators working outside the U.S.

Links & Resources from This Episode

For Educators & Students

This episode is well-suited for courses on climate adaptation, environmental governance, public policy, or comparative politics.
Key themes include public participation, disaster response, adaptation without climate language, and institutional limits.
Professors are welcome to assign this episode or excerpts in syllabi.

Who Should Listen to This Episode

Climate adaptation and resilience practitioners
Urban and regional planners working on risk, infrastructure, or public engagement
Researchers and students studying climate governance, adaptation, or comparative policy
Government staff and policymakers involved in disaster response or long-term planning
Funders and foundations interested in how public demand shapes adaptation outcomes
Climate communicators looking to move beyond technical or ideological framing
Anyone interested in how climate adaptation is unfolding outside the United States

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