As stifling heat grips much of North America, wildfires threaten communities and massive plumes of smoke dim cities in an apocalyptic orange. The two are connected: the same stalled dome of high pressure that drives the heat is also acting as a lid on the air, trapping the smoke near the ground instead of letting it clear. But an emerging debate over how to best protect people seeking an escape in the air-conditioned indoors is degrading into a false choice between reducing emissions or adapting to climate change. 

Two reflexes are pulling in opposite directions, but both make dangerous mistakes.

As heatwaves disrupt lives and livelihoods, some think tanks and contrarian commentators turn the discussion away from policies that tackle the root cause of climate change. Governments are accused of fixating on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, while leaving people defenceless against the extreme heat that’s already here. Adaptation measures — like improving access to air conditioning — are framed as the prudent yet neglected priority, while mitigation is cast as a misguided indulgence. 

Governments have indeed chronically underfunded and overlooked climate adaptation — but that failure doesn’t prove that cutting emissions........

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