This paper will focus on how communities can respond to the impacts of a more dangerous world but will emphasize that there exist powerful barriers to climate change adaptation (CCA). This article explores why there are so many barriers to change and offers a simple mnemonic to organize the argument--A.D.A.P.T. The A.D.A.P.T. framework shows that CCA is an emerging threat to many localities that is not yet placed on center stage. Geographers have played important roles in furthering climate science, because they are familiar with the challenges of trying to integrate physical and human affairs. In addition, the discipline is very used to thinking about scale and connecting global, national, and local processes and outcomes. By giving more attention to local risks within the curriculum, geographers and their students can provide effective leadership to residents who are likely to be facing complex challenges in decades to come.