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Events once labeled “unprecedented” are now the new normal.

Globally, the signs of escalating climate disruption are unavoidable: wildfires in Los Angeles, catastrophic flooding in Germany and Nigeria, record heat waves in South Asia and typhoons devastating the Philippines. These events reveal a stark truth: the residual damage from repeated climate disasters is weakening communities, making recovery harder and increasing long-term vulnerability.

Compounding the challenge, the new federal administration in the United States has already taken steps to stall climate progress — including opposing offshore wind, EPA green infrastructure funds and New York City’s congestion pricing mandate.

But the decisions we make now are going to determine whether our communities collapse under the weight of escalating climate risks or adapt to meet the challenges head-on. Adapting often means moving out of our comfort zones by choice, which is hard. But the stakes are high and, importantly, the solutions already exist — not in some future breakthrough, but in deploying innovations we’ve already made in smarter, faster ways.

As director of global challenges at MIT Solve, I have the privilege of working with myriad companies tackling global climate change impacts in bold and novel ways. While I mention a few in this piece, countless others — both familiar and yet to be discovered — are doing meaningful work. These organizations offer valuable lessons for anyone committed to the health of our planet and the future of humanity.

Building on existing solutions

Let’s talk about specific examples, starting with geospatial data.

In Rajasthan, India, Khushi Baby is empowering public health interventions for a population of over 30 million people, linking medical data with geospatial insights to identify areas most at risk from climate impacts, thereby ensuring resources are allocated where they’re needed most.

Similarly, GLOBHE uses drones to provide critical aerial insights for environmental monitoring and disaster response, helping communities better understand and address vulnerabilities. And tools like Mapeo empower Indigenous communities to map their territories, safeguard their lands and advocate for sustainable policies.

At the same time, solar deployment in Pakistan and Nigeria is transforming energy access in underserved regions, providing renewable power in areas where traditional grids have been inconsistent at best.

These efforts show how existing technology, when deployed strategically, can create immediate and lasting impact. These are not hypothetical; they are tangible, real-world solutions already making a difference. Solutions like Earthbond in Nigeria, which helps small businesses finance and install solar, have thousands of customers on their waitlist.

Confronting the discomfort

The solutions needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change often challenge the status quo. They require rethinking entrenched systems and embracing discomfort.

For those living in regions prone to climate risks, adaptation might mean building denser housing in some places or retreating from a flood-prone river, both actions that can change the feel of communities. It could also mean shifting consumption habits, such as reducing how much stuff we buy or how much beef we eat, both of which are deeply connected to culture.

Investors and other funders need to face their own discomforts with the necessary changes, as dominant funding models like venture capital will often be the wrong fit.

While many climate mitigation solutions will generate revenue and have a clear business case, they often require tremendous upfront capital, take years to yield return and don’t fit conventional investor expectations.

Similarly, with many climate solutions across the Global South, the risk profiles and investment processes are different. However, without early-stage funding — including through targeted types of philanthropy or new models such as biodiversity-focused investments — these projects will often struggle to scale.

Innovative approaches, like Easy Housing’s use of carbon credits to fund sustainable timber housing in East Africa or Untapped’s goal of making capital available to global entrepreneurs, highlight how these new funding mechanisms can bridge the gap where traditional financing falls short.

As Alex Steffen, a futurist and leading voice on climate resilience, puts it, “We’re not ready for what’s already happened.” This hard truth underscores the urgency of rethinking how we build, live and invest to withstand the disruptions already underway.

A call to action

The shift to a resilient, net-zero future gets easier as more climate-friendly products get less expensive. But the change won’t happen on its own, even as the clean technologies we need become the cheaper and better options. Change must be promoted and supported with four in’s: information, investment, infrastructure and incentive.

That support must come from policymakers, philanthropists, company executives and investors — those in a position to champion what’s already working and help scale what’s next. These people often face the additional challenge of acting out of step with systems that give them power and wealth, with individual risks and broadly shared benefits.

Everyone has a role to play in making that happen, whether it’s supporting local innovators, advocating for the choices and policies that enable the adoption of new climate solutions or, for those with funds, investing with an eye on the future of humanity. Platforms like Sphere offer ways to divest from fossil fuels and invest in companies driving the clean energy transition. These actions all offer their own (non-climate!) rewards as well — connections, financial returns, better places to live and a tangible story of a more positive future.

Climate change may feel overwhelming, but it’s not too late, and no effort is too small; most actions are locally driven, and every fraction of a degree matters. Many solutions are here, with more being developed every day. They just need champions willing to face disruption and do things differently.