The reality of climate change is difficult for many people to accept. It isn’t easy to comprehend that our actions today are irrevocably changing the natural world, making it hotter, less predictable, and more dangerous. The reality is that to prevent mass extinction — which may include humanity itself — we need to fundamentally change how we live; for many, that starts with where we live.

Housing significantly impacts energy consumption and emissions, which means that making careful choices regarding housing can reduce your environmental impact. Plus, your home and how you live inside it can improve your own family’s climate resilience, helping you survive and thrive in the face of climate change.

Relocate to a Region With a Relatively Stable Climate 

Certain parts of the world suffer climate change more acutely. For example, cities along coastlines are more likely to experience more intense storms, and rising sea levels could consume some low-level coastal cities within the next few decades. Other regions may be subject to severe blizzards, tornados, wildfires, floods, and other disasters brought on by an unstable climate. Climate change may affect public health in some areas. For example, as freshwater becomes contaminated, animal species comingle, and other health threats occur — including pandemics.

If you live in an area that is seeing any kind of increase in hazardous weather events, you might consider relocating to a place that enjoys greater climatic stability. According to surveys accounting for population size, isolation, and current ecosystem, some of the best places to live to avoid climate change around the globe include Ireland, Iceland, Australia, and New Zealand. If you want to stay in the U.S., you might consider California or the Pacific Northwest. The sooner you move, the more likely you will enjoy a good return on the sale of your home, and the sooner you can settle into a climate-resilient lifestyle in your new hometown.

Surround Yourself With an Eco-friendly Community

There is only so much you can do to preserve your natural surroundings and thrive amidst a rapidly changing climate if everyone around you is working counter to your efforts. As you look for a home, you should prioritize moving into a community that puts the environment first. In working together, you may be able to keep your neighborhood — and perhaps your entire region — safer from the ravages of climate change.

Some signs that a neighborhood is focused on being eco-friendly include:

• Infrastructure to support eco-friendly transportation, like walking and biking;
• Robust programs for sharing, reusing, and recycling resources;
• Commitment to green spaces, especially untouched natural spaces;
• Popularity of eco-friendly businesses.

Once you are nestled in your new home, you should start participating in your new community. You might volunteer for green initiatives like picking up trash or organizing programs to improve the climate resilience of the neighborhood.

Live as Sustainably as Possible

You are responsible for making sure that your home and family are as climate resilient as possible — but what does climate resilience look like in practice? You need to make sure that your home is properly protected against the types of climate events you are likely to experience in your area, and you need to equip your home with the tools to survive and thrive as the changing climate disrupts supply chains, impacts public health, and causes other significant problems.

In prioritizing climate resilience, you should make these upgrades to your new home as soon as possible:

• Double-pane windows, which insulate more effectively against heat and cold.
• Metal roof, which is resistant to heavy snow and wildfires.
• Rainwater harvesting systems, which reduce your reliance on city or ground water.
• Backup generator, which can keep your home powered when weather events knock out local grids.

Then, as your attention turns to decorative aspects of your home, you might consider the eco-friendliness of any design choices you may make. For example, you might opt for household items made from more durable and more sustainable materials, like bamboo. You might also consider investing in secondhand items, which tend to be more budget-friendly and certainly keep usable items out of landfills. Try to thrift like a pro so you can find exactly what your household needs without relying on the global supply chain.

Climate change is happening, but certain choices can keep your home and family happy even as weather events become more severe. A safe, sustainable lifestyle is waiting for you — you just need to take the first big step toward climate resilience.

 Image by wirestock on Freepik.