1. Within a year of your graduation from HBS, you were the lead on this major report on climate adaptation. What is this report about – what are they key points you really hope readers will take away from reading this, and who is your intended audience?

The systems we rely on (such as food, water, energy, infrastructure, and healthcare) were all built on the assumption of a stable climate. But as the climate becomes more volatile, the risks from climate hazards like drought, heat, and flooding are growing. Climate adaptation is about strengthening our systems so they can endure in the face of those risks.

This report offers a snapshot of where we stand today on climate adaptation. It explores what’s happening, what progress has (and hasn’t) been made, and what it will take for us to adapt well.

What we found is that climate adaptation is still early in its development. Unlike climate mitigation or decarbonization, which have clearer goals and shared frameworks, the efforts around climate adaptation are fragmented. Many governments, businesses, and institutions are experimenting, but there is no shared understanding of what climate adaptation means or how to evaluate it.

Some key findings, in particular, include:

• There is no collective, clear definition for climate adaptation, even among those working on adaptation.
• Existing frameworks for climate adaptation are disjointed and unclear.
• Some climate adaptation strategies are more successful than others, and some sectors are working harder than others to adapt.
• Evaluating the success of climate adaptation strategies is necessary but inherently difficult.

The report also points to opportunities to advance climate adaptation. At the most fundamental level, there is a need for consistent terminology and shared language that can bridge across sectors. Equally important is the demand for accessible, comprehensive tools that offer individuals and organizations practical support as they work to adapt and reduce their climate risk.

The report is written for anyone thinking seriously about climate adaptation, whether in government, business, philanthropy, or finance. We hope it helps build a stronger foundation for future work, especially when it comes to acting with foresight and care as the climate continues to change.

2. Let’s step back in your journey to Probable Futures and the role you have allowing you to dive right in. You did this as part of the HBS Leadership Fellows program – and this is Probable Futures’ inaugural participation, that you proposed directly. Could you describe the program and the process of landing where you did?

The HBS Leadership Fellows program gives graduates the opportunity to work in high-impact nonprofit roles immediately after graduation. Fellows are placed in positions where they can contribute meaningfully to an organization’s mission while learning from its leadership.

I had admired Probable Futures for years before coming to HBS. Their work translating climate science into intuitive resources and tools helped me (and many others) understand what climate change means for daily life and long-term planning.

The Leadership Fellows program felt like the perfect opportunity to try to join the organization. I started by sending an email proposing the idea to Spencer Glendon, the founder of Probable Futures. That led to a series of conversations with him and others on the team about why I wanted to work there and what I hoped to contribute.

Through those conversations, we realized there was a strong alignment: I had a background in climate adaptation, and Probable Futures was looking to expand and do more work on that topic. Together, we shaped a custom proposal for the Leadership Fellows program that outlined the role and projects I would take on, and were fortunate enough to get selected.

3. Stepping further back, what was your journey to HBS and what compels you to focus on the topic of climate adaptation?

I started my career in tech, working in data science and analytics across large companies and early-stage startups. After a few years, I stepped back and realized that while I liked the work, I wasn’t deeply connected to it. What I cared about, and what had always mattered to me, was the natural world. That led to a turning point, where I decided I wanted to commit my life to working on climate change.

However, I didn’t have a scientific background, so I wanted to build one before diving in. I went to UC Berkeley and completed a Master’s focused on climate science and adaptation. During that time, I also worked in various roles related to climate risk, sustainability, and energy. Through that work, I began to see the scale of transformation needed, not just in technology, but in the systems we depend on.

That’s what ultimately brought me to HBS. I wanted to understand how to build and scale the tools, ideas, and strategies needed for widespread climate adaptation.

Climate change is no longer a future problem. It’s here and changing ecosystems, communities, and our everyday lives. And while mitigation remains essential, it’s not enough on its own. We also need to adapt to the changes already underway, and prepare for the risks still to come.

4. What advice would you have for current HBS students pursuing careers at the intersection of business and climate change?

I can’t think of a more urgent, challenging, or meaningful area to work in right now than climate change. It’s reshaping the world, gradually in some places and rapidly in others. If you’ve been thinking about working on climate, my advice is simple: do it. The need for dedicated, thoughtful people is only growing.

My second piece of advice is to seriously consider working on climate adaptation. It’s a younger and less defined field, which means there is real room to shape it. Climate adaptation requires rethinking how we finance infrastructure, design insurance, plan cities, and manage supply chains. It calls for revisiting the assumptions built into nearly every system. That also means there is tons of opportunity to shape what these transformations will look like in practice. Climate adaptation needs business thinkers, designers, community organizers, operators, investors, engineers, and most of all, people who can imagine new models for life, work, and systems, and help bring them into being.

This article first appeared on the HBS Business & Environment blog.