“It is adapt or die,” Emma Howard Boyd, the head of England’s Environment Agency, said in a statement earlier this week, as her government department released a study that warned the country would face devastating floods related to climate change if it fails to protect itself.

As my colleague Erin Cunningham reported, the study pointed to rising sea levels, increased river flows and significant strains on England’s public water supply amid soaring global temperatures associated with the changing climate and urged the government, businesses and broader society to engage in adaptation and mitigation strategies, “rather than living with the costs of inaction.”

Her appeal for urgency is yet another call for action as global leaders ready for a major U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, set to take place in a couple of weeks. Referred to often by its shorthand COP26, the conference will convene dozens of heads of state and government, business leaders, activists and even a string of glitzy celebrities. In a statement of intent, President Biden is expected to bring a large delegation of 13 cabinet and high-ranking administration officials to the conference.