Who Gets to Adapt? New Book Exposes the Hidden Climate Divide Shaping America’s Future

“A well-argued analysis of climate adaptation in contemporary America.” —Kirkus Reviews

FREDERICK, MD, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Environmental policy scholar Robert W. Collin delivers a powerful and timely examination of climate inequality in Who Gets to Adapt? Environmental Elites, Blue-Collar Communities, and the Growing Climate Divide, a new release from Environmental Policy Press.

As climate impacts intensify across the United States, Who Gets to Adapt? confronts a critical and often overlooked question: who is truly protected—and who is left exposed. The book argues that the widening “climate divide” is not inevitable, but the result of policy choices, land-use decisions, and institutional structures that concentrate protection among the privileged while shifting risk onto working-class and marginalized communities.

Kirkus Reviews calls the book “a well-argued analysis of climate adaptation in contemporary America,” recognizing its clear-eyed assessment of how adaptation systems—from insurance markets to infrastructure investments—to land use practices can reinforce inequality if left unchecked.

“We need to stop asking how we adapt to climate change and start asking who gets to adapt—and why,” said Robert W. Collin. “That shift reframes adaptation from a technical challenge into a question of justice, power, and ultimately, who gets the chance to flourish.” He notes that the division between environmental elites and blue collar communities is ultimately not sustainable because all communities need blue collar workers and their skill set to build climate adaptation infrastructure.

Blending environmental law, urban planning, and public health, Collin introduces a new framework centered on flourishing—a standard that measures success not by infrastructure built, but by harm avoided: lives saved, displacement prevented, and communities sustained. The book also highlights the overlooked role of blue-collar workers as the frontline agents of climate adaptation, whose labor underpins resilience but whose own risks are rarely addressed.

Who Gets to Adapt? is the third volume in a groundbreaking trilogy that includes The Climate Adaptation Generation: A Blueprint for the Future and Climate Change in the Classroom: Celebrating Optimism for Students, Teachers, and Parents. Together, the series advances a bold rethinking of climate adaptation—from a narrow focus on resilience to a broader vision of equitable, community-centered flourishing.

With growing national attention on climate risk, insurance instability, land use, and extreme heat, the book arrives at a pivotal moment for policymakers, planners, educators, and the public.

Robert Collin
Environmental Policy Press
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