Jonathan Cook & Jainey Bavishi On The State of Adaptation Post-Biden

It's been 161 days since President Trump's second inauguration. In that time, US climate adaptation policy has been utterly transformed — and not for the better. Today's episode — recorded at the recent Adapt Unbound 2025 conference in New York — unpacks how the Trumpian crusade against climate science, overseas aid, and the federal government writ large is undermining US — and global — climate resilience. Jonathan Cook, formerly Senior Resilience and Adaptation Advisor at USAID, and Jainey Bavishi, formerly Deputy Administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), explore the administration's gutting of the US's adaptation initiatives and hollowing out of critical climate data infrastructure. They assess what's been lost, what can still be salvaged, and where new opportunities for action lie. They also get into the real-world implications of losing public goods like open-source climate data, and what the retreat of federal leadership on climate adaptation means for the states, regions, and the private sector. It's a sobering listen, but an essential one for those wanting to understand where US climate adaptation goes from here. 👀 Adapt Unbound is coming to Europe! Join public and private sector leaders shaping the future of climate adaptation and resilience in Amsterdam this October 14 & 15. Learn more HERE Sign up to climateproof.news for more news and insights on climate adaptation finance, tech, and policy. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at [email protected].

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