Not-Quite-Unbounded Optimism In New York

At the Adapt Unbound conference in New York City, hope for the adaptation economy was tempered by a healthy dose of realism

Author

Louie Woodall
May 16, 2025

Source: rabbit75_ist / Getty Images Pro

“We’ve lost capacity. We’re losing time. We’ve lost momentum — but I don’t think we’ve lost the future.”

That’s how former NOAA Deputy Administrator Jainey Bavishi summed up the state of US climate adaptation after 114 days of the second Trump administration.

It was a blunt assessment: grim, pragmatic — but not without hope. Her sentiments were echoed by many at Adapt Unbound 2025, the second go-around for the New York City conference covering adaptation finance, tech, and policy. Climate Proof was on-site, listening in on panels and buttonholing founders and investors over coffee and pastries.

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