Extreme weather is a looming threat to the economic and technological competition between China and the United States. As the world's largest emitters of carbon dioxide, both countries face significant risks from climate-related extreme weather, which could determine who wins the race to develop frontier technologies, gain economic advantages, and secure influence across the world. While China has been integrating adaptation into its policy planning for over a decade, the U.S. has no consistent national strategy. China's approach to adaptation is far from perfect, but it is far ahead of the U.S. in building the state capacity and crafting the long-term plans necessary to prepare for the extreme weather to come. In contrast, the U.S. has made only slight progress in reducing the risk of future damage and is not making the type of sustained investments in large-scale projects that could better protect its economy and people from climate-driven harm. As climate change becomes more disruptive, a U.S. that cannot protect its infrastructure and other economic assets will suffer immensely. It will face skyrocketing disaster response bills, become less attractive to investors, fall behind in emerging industries, and ultimately become less competitive. It's time for Washington to make investing in adaptation a priority. If it fails to act, the U.S. economy will suffer the consequences.
