Dr. See scrutinized the enduring yet maladaptive appeal of visible, hard infrastructure, such as the tide embankments and sea walls constructed along Cancabato Bay, which are the default climate resilience measures in the Philippines. This approach, he said, is often driven by political agenda. Dr. See advocates for an alternative approach that reimagines scale, impact, and identity—decentralizing authority, integrating indigenous knowledge, and fostering proactive community engagement. The climate crisis, after all, is “a crisis of the imagination,” said Dr. See.
