While “greenlash” is clouding climate adaptation efforts, it’s not the end of the story.

Backlash and backsliding are normal, even expected, parts of change.

Savvy changemakers anticipate backlash and devise strategies to predict, address, or even counter it.

Summer is here—along with alarming reminders that something’s amiss with the climate. From record-breaking heatwaves to increased wildfire risk to violent storms, summer now feels like a season to survive rather than savor. "Coolcations" are now a thing: Instead of sweating through Southern Europe, travelers are chasing cooler temperatures in places like Scandinavia and Alaska.

It's no surprise that people feel pessimistic about the climate and our ability to avert the worst consequences. Climate- or eco-anxiety is on the rise, especially among young people. At the same time, greenlash—the social and political backlash against climate policy and adaptation efforts—is sweeping the U.S. and Europe, driven by populism and the culture wars. Even before the current backlash, making progress on climate issues has been hard for a host of reasons, ranging from designing effective policy and economic incentives to inconsistent governmental and organizational commitment to motivating collective and individual action. It can feel pretty hopeless that we’re in a downswing, yet again.

Greenlash, however, doesn’t have to be a reason for despair. When it comes to change, we don’t have to view backlash as a failure; we can instead see........

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