A key objective for governments today should be to chart a course through an uncertain and complex world to maximize justice and sustainability without risking conflict. Climate change makes this more difficult. The accelerating impacts of climate change interact with a range of other challenging megatrends, including the societal impacts of artificial intelligence and other technologies, rising inequality, ongoing environmental degradation, poorly managed migration, financial crises and pandemics. Such interlinked polycrises pose risks that ignore national borders, and they impose costs that erode the political and financial capital available to invest in preventing and preparing for climate-related shocks at the very time when these efforts are most needed. Polycrises exacerbate climate risks by magnifying volatility and uncertainty in global systems and markets, and by raising geopolitical tensions and conflicts. As a result, adapting to climate change has never been more important. Yet, at the same time, adaptation priorities are frequently trumped by more “strategic” policies. Societies are left woefully unprepared.