Climate Change: Making the Most of Failure

Whatever the cause, a smackdown from Mother Nature seems inevitable. But Scott Doyon says that doesn't mean we can't still advance and persevere.

1 minute read

March 30, 2018, 1:00 PM PDT

By Hazel Borys


Climate Change

Alexander Erdbeer / Shutterstock

"Though it surely happens in sports at all levels, there’s one phenomenon that’s particularly common in youth sports: A game in which you’re so outmatched, so fundamentally inferior to your opponent that the outcome, minus Divine or supernatural intervention, is essentially guaranteed."

"You’re going to lose."

"I’ve been there. Perhaps you have as well. In the moment, particularly through the eyes of a child, there remains a palpable sense of denial. Maybe, just maybe we’ll rally and against all odds, topple the mighty."

"It’s a powerful elixir but the loss still comes."

Scott Doyon discusses climate change in this context. "Mother Nature’s gonna put the beat down on us, but we will not submit. We can still emerge as better, more successful players if we reconsider what it is that constitutes a win.”

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 in PlaceShakers

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

People walking by a brick school in Cambridge.

After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker

Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.

5 seconds ago - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the park, with green grass and a bass sculpture that looks like several tall arches in a row.

40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park

The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.

1 hour ago - Block Club Chicago

the New Mexico State capital building, made of orange clay

‘Hoodwinked:’ New Mexico bill aimed at microgrids paves way for data center development

In an interview with High Country News, Padilla said the legislation “ignited” New Mexico's economy.

2 hours ago - High Country News