SAILING TOWARD A HOPEFUL FUTURE

We often think about climate adaptation in terms of infrastructure, engineering, policy, funding, and better information.

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But knowing the problem does not necessarily make the decisions easier.

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Sailing Toward a Hopeful Future follows seven colleagues aboard the RV Smart Ports as they travel along the British Columbia coast and engage with questions surrounding sea-level rise, local knowledge, community, uncertainty, and change.

 

Along the way, another challenge comes into view: how people listen to one another, acknowledge their differences, build trust, and work together when there is no perfect answer.

 

The book grew out of Gary Whiteley’s decades of work in Alaska and his belief that difficult problems require more than good information and technical solutions. They also require people who can listen carefully, communicate to understand, work interdependently, and make difficult decisions together.

 

Part story, part reflection, Sailing Toward a Hopeful Future offers a hopeful but grounded look at what communities may need from one another as they navigate an uncertain climate future.