Climate change is one of the most important environmental and social issues that is already affecting our lives, and its impact will continue to grow. One of the symptoms of change is the fact that over the last decade (2011-2020), the average annual temperature in Poland increased by 0.82 °C. This seemingly small difference has a significant impact on the functioning of society, not least because of the increasingly severe water shortages occurring in our landscape. It should be added that we continue to observe a rise in temperature, with the passing year of 2023 proving to be the warmest year in the history of meteorological observations. Any change usually triggers three basic responses in us: resistance, adaptation, or indifference towards the event. Just 10 years ago, many people remained indifferent to climate change. However, experiences of droughts or extreme rainfall have made us realize the need for resistance or adaptation to the new climatic reality. Resistance, involving changes including ways of generating energy without greenhouse gas emissions, requires serious actions at the organizational and technological level. It also affects our daily habits, increasing the need for savings, for example, in energy or water consumption. These actions are difficult, as they are (only seemingly) in conflict with our culture, according to which greater consumption is the key to prosperity. However, from the perspective of common sense, this is the path that guarantees the halting of global warming and the preservation of prosperity. Adaptation seems to be less problematic, yet the ongoing climate change will pose greater challenges for us, exhausting our adaptive capacities. In other words, adaptation might not only prove to be ineffective but also make it simply impossible to function at the current level.

In the current situation, when we already see the first effects of climate change and at the same time know that this process will continue without our resistance, simultaneous resistance and adaptation actions seem to be the best. We must adapt to the situation that has already arisen, but only resistance will ensure that climate change does not progress further.

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