PBS Terra asks 'What is the RISKIEST Region in the US as the Climate Changes?'

When PBS Terra revealed 'the Safest Place to Live as the Climate Changes', it begged the question of what the least safe places to live in the U.S. because of climate change. It asked and answered that question yesterday when the channel uploaded What is the RISKIEST Region in the US as the Climate Changes?

Climate Change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters all around the world. And in the United States, more and more people seem to be moving to the places that are projected to be most impacted by climate change, from hazards such as flooding, wildfire, storms, drought and extreme heat; and leaving the most climate-resilient areas. At first glance, this seems like a bizarre and paradoxical trend. So, for this episode of Weathered, we decided to see if we could get to the bottom of it.

We spoke to experts and sifted through lots of data about moving trends and shifting climate patterns to figure out what’s really going on here and what you can do to avoid moving into harm’s way.

While I expected the answer to be one of Florida, the Gulf Coast, or Arizona, all of which are high-risk areas, the answer to the question in the subject line turned out to be Beaufort County, South Carolina. That surprised me, just like Lamoille County, Vermont as the safest place from climate change surprised me. Still, it's enough to discourage me from moving to Arizona or Florida (Texas and Louisiana are not in the cards). On the other hand, I'm heartened to see that the western Great Lakes states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, along with Iowa, form the safest region from climate change. Half of the ten safest cities from climate change are in these states. As I wrote the last two times I examined this subject: "I'll take it. It reinforces my feeling that leaving California for Michigan has turned out to be a smart move, literally, the longer I live here." I just wish that the economics were such that people would move here instead of into harm's way. That would make a great subject for another post. Stay tuned.