Green Six Sigma

Chapter 11Green Six Sigma and Climate Adaptation

‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.’

– Albert Einstein

11.1. Introduction

‘Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to current or expected climate change and its effects’ (IPCC, 2014a). Even taking into account that some progress has been achieved due to present climate change initiatives, it is a certainty that we will breach 1.5 degrees centigrade of global warming in the early 2030s and may remain unprepared. The global reality of the climate crisis could hardly be more serious now. July 2021 alone saw the effects of several chaotic weather events; over 200 people perished in floods in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, causing unprecedented scenes of devastation in northern Europe, while at least 50 people died and a further 400,000 people were displaced in central China after heavy downpours. In western India many properties were flooded and 125 people perished in a torrential monsoon. At the same time in western Canada and the USA, a blistering set of heat waves provided the tinder for wildfires to rage for months, while drought threatens areas from Algeria to Yemen.

As I write this chapter, Covid-19 has killed over 4 million people and the UK government is advising us that, in the long term, we must adjust and learn to live with the virus because we have vaccines. Many of the lessons learned from the pandemic also apply to climate change. The world has made remarkable progress by ...