Sink or Swim: How the world needs to adapt to a changing climate

by Susannah Fisher

How the world needs to adapt to climate change, and the key problems and hard choices that lie ahead for the global community.

Heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes and flooding caused by climate change are already impacting people and nature. Even if greenhouse gases stopped being emitted tomorrow, some parts of the world will still become uninhabitable, some livelihoods untenable, food shortages will spread and international conflicts will emerge.

Adaptation until now has been incremental with governments and financial institutions tinkering around the edges of current systems, without making major changes to how we live our lives. This will not be enough. In Sink or Swim, Sussannah Fisher explores the hard choices which lie ahead concerning how people earn a living, the way governments manage relationships between countries, and how communities accommodate the movement of people. Should people be encouraged to move away from the coast? How can global food supplies be managed when parts of the world are hit by simultaneous droughts? How can conflict be handled when there isn't enough water?

Drawing on cutting edge research, interviews with experts, and practical examples from across the world this book tells the story of the tough choices on adaptation, what they will mean for people around the world, and ways we can still have a liveable planet in the 21st century and beyond. Will we choose to sink or swim?

288 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Laurie Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Climate adapting without leaving anyone behind - a riveting read!

In an era where climate change is no longer a future threat but a present crisis, this book is a riveting exploration of what adaptation really means – and why we’re not doing nearly enough. Immediately engaging and deeply thought-provoking, it lays bare the hard trade-offs governments and societies are failing to make, but urgently must.
Through well-drawn arguments and clear exposition, Sink or Swim outlines how adaptation, if not carefully managed, can lead to maladaptation – making vulnerable communities even more exposed.
A central strength of the book is its systemic lens. Climate change isn’t just a scientific issue – it’s interwoven with human mobility, food systems, nature conservation and conflict. The adaptation choices within each of these areas are complex, often politically fraught, and, as the book argues, must be made with people, not for them. The focus on inclusivity in decision-making is especially powerful in highlighting the democratic deficit in current climate planning processes.
One particularly helpful feature is a summary box explaining the types of adaptation choices and the concept of tipping points – clear and concise, it’s an excellent reference for both new readers and climate policy professionals.
The book doesn’t shy away from hard truths: climate change disproportionately affects those already on the margins of society – people with the least power to act. And while wealthy governments host conferences and draft policies, another crisis always seems to take precedence over climate action.
Yet, this isn’t a book without hope. It argues for faster, deeper, and more inclusive adaptation that reaches into every aspect of our lives – from agriculture to urban planning to technological innovation. The importance of early warning systems and local decision-making is emphasised, as is the role of adaptation in addressing deeper structural inequalities.
Chapters on flooding, heat, and drought are particularly compelling, revealing how these events – once considered rare – are now frequent and more extreme. The author makes it clear: every fraction of a degree in temperature matters. And while past generations also faced disasters, climate change ensures these are no longer isolated or exceptional.
As a non-climate specialist, I found this a sobering read. It reminds us of the great injustice of climate change while also urging us not to lose hope. Optimism, it seems, is not naïve but essential – for us to act together as “taking action is the best antidote to fear or anxiety about the future”.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susannah Fisher’s Sink or Swim is a compelling, urgent book, one that refuses to shy away from the hard truths of our climate future while insisting that hope and agency still exist.
From the very first pages, Fisher makes it clear: the incremental tweaks and small-scale adaptations we’ve relied upon so far will not be enough. The climate shocks are intensifying, systems are straining, and the choices we make will determine whether communities sink or swim.
Fisher doesn’t gloss over the hardest questions: Should entire communities be relocated? How do we govern the movement of people across borders in a warming world? What about the management of food systems under simultaneous climate stress in multiple regions? These dilemmas are treated with nuance — she resists easy answers, encourages difficult debates, and insists that adaptation must happen with people, not to them.
In a moment when many climate books focus on mitigation, Sink or Swim fills a vital gap: the need to think deeply and rigorously about adaptation. For anyone concerned about climate justice, policy, or the question of how to live well in a changing world, this is a book worth reading, discussing, and building upon.

[Mohamed Abdel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book provides a great overview of all the current climate adaptation issues. I loved it and have benefited a lot from it. Timely piece.

[Chandni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the topic of adaptation to climate change; where we're at, where we're going, and the hard choices we need to make to avoid catastrophic impacts.