The world faces a future of floods, famine, and extreme heat - here's what it'll take to bounce back

• When talking about climate change, the question we need to ask is no longer "Are we screwed?" because that answer is unequivocally yes.
• The question we need to ask today is, "Now what?"
• It's possible to build a livable world for the future if we take action to restore fragile environments, transform our food and energy systems, and build in protections for people and places.
• But it won't be easy.

A nine-foot storm surge barreled down on the city. It swamped subways and neighborhoods. A power substation flooded, causing an explosion that looked like something out of a science-fiction film. Half of Manhattan turned pitch black.

Downed power lines lit close-together homes on fire, forcing some residents to swim through alleys and into houses to help save neighbors. Forty-three people died. One person was electrocuted in front of neighbors as she ventured out into the storm to take a photo.

It wasn't a scene from a movie or a scientist's stark prediction. This was superstorm Sandy, which hit New York City and New Jersey five years ago. It changed how experts across the US think of disaster preparedness.