Where should I move to in order to best survive the climate crisis (thinking within the UK, but open to other suggestions)? Pamela Gray-Jones, London
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Readers reply
There isn’t any escape; all the good places will be popular. The rest need not actually turn to desert or be under water, but just won’t be able to sustain the people stuck there. It will be very, very ugly. So let’s try to prevent it happening. CanalChris
The effects are very unpredictable and often downright perverse. If (for example) the Gulf Stream gets turned off by polar meltwater, one likely effect is that the north-west coast of Europe will become icebound every winter, Britain being on the same latitude as Labrador. Some regions will become disastrously dry, while others will become disastrously wet. AnChiarogEile
Some friends did this exercise some years ago and apparently Winchester is at a good height to avoid rising waters. I would avoid anywhere in the Netherlands for this reason. Cider_Woman
James Lovelock suggested in 2008 that Britain would be an oasis compared to some other places (the rest of Europe). So select somewhere well above sea level (not Winchester; Winchester is already full). Whatever you do, avoid Winchester … MeinHerr
The Winchester, till it all blows over, surely? GrannyBev
You should stay where you are, change your lifestyle and help those around you to also change theirs. There is only this one planet and there is no “away” to go to. Face the problem and do something that will help to create a viable future. Reterritorialisation
The romantic in me would like to think that moving to the isolation of the Scottish Highlands is the answer; sadly, it’s not. London – that’s where the finances are, that’s where the politics is. It’s the place least likely to be affected by shortages and the first place that will attract protective measures (there’s a reason London had a technologically advanced flood barrier built in the 80s and not the other UK port cities). honeytree
What struck me was the profound selfishness of this question. It reflects the cult of individualism that has partly created the problems we are facing. We have a collective responsibility to deal with the crisis of planet heating. The questions you should be asking are: “What can I do to be part of the solution and what can I stop doing that’s making me part of the problem?” Maggie Wicks, Wakefield
You will have to think upper northern hemisphere, which rules out most of the UK, with the possible exception of northern mainland Scotland, Shetland and Orkney (the only issue being accessible potable water in sufficient quantities). Outside the UK, think polar and subpolar regions such as northern Canada, northern Scandinavia, Alaska, China and Russia. As the climate warms, these regions will transform to become much more habitable; they will also have access to significant amounts of fresh water. ArcticIslander
Habitable, yes, yet still without much sunlight in winter – and agriculture will be difficult. Mnemon
I would have said northern Canada, Patagonia, Siberia; well above sea level. But the recent extreme weather in north-west Canada – 49C! – has made me think again. The problem is not just everywhere becoming hotter than at present, but the disruption of climate as masses of air (and water) change their patterns, initially chaotically, possibly in the fullness of time (decades? centuries?) establishing moderately stable new patterns. Conceivably, Britain may be relatively well placed, depending on what happens with the Gulf Stream and jet stream. pol098
Admit that asking this question, 40 years after the global south asked this question, means you are already in the safest place. Enjoy. zahera
Russia. Climate change will make Russia the No 1 winner. The steppes and tundras will become arable again, as they were in the time of the Golden Horde. GardChr
So far, it appears that the North American midwest, where I live, has less climate change than other areas. LONAHANSEN
Michigan. A geopolitics and globalisation expert, Parag Khanna, says in a newly published book, Move: The Forces Uprooting Us, that the Great Lakes region – and specifically Michigan – may become the best place on the planet to live by 2050 because of climate change. TimInMichigan
I can’t think of a better place than Mwanza, Tanzania. On the shores of Lake Victoria, so abundant fresh water. An equable climate, 1,000 metres above sea level. And a stable government that is not corrupt. JimToddMwanz
The question aptly demonstrates the reason why climate change is being addressed so ineffectually. Some people, even nations, believe that they can escape unscathed … Legomania
Even if we think a location might be good, there are possible negative and positive feedback mechanisms that are yet to kick in or might accelerate in ways we had not imagined. Perhaps a better question is which location has the best options for adapting to any potential impacts? Plato301
We’re betting on Galicia in Spain. We’re 5km from the Atlantic, so, by definition, a maritime climate with few spikes in temperature and blissfully cool summer nights compared with the Languedoc. Rainfall is spread throughout the year, although autumn is usually the wettest season. True, the largest cities are at sea level, but it’s plenty hilly enough that you can move up – our house is at 100 metres. The only risk from climate change I can foresee is if summers get dryer (which they already are, to a lesser extent) – the risk of forest fires. There are a lot of eucalyptus trees here, although it’s forbidden to plant new ones now. Oh, and our wines here are 11-12.5%. winebore
Top of the priority list is water. If you don’t have a secure source of water, move immediately. sonicuniverse
Not near a nuclear power station. Dirkum
Climate-change effects, if not controlled now, will be incremental and knock on in a variety of ways – it’s not simply a matter of finding the Garden of Eden and planting potatoes. There will be unrest like you’ve never known. Undesirables roaming the countryside. Sickness. Lack of services. Probably war. Nowhere will be safe. All I’d suggest for now is you move to a more remote region to a house with a large garden and a spring, preferably within a friendly farming community. If you really want some idea, try to imagine what the world will be without electricity. SawdustCaesar
This ideal, tiny, perfect place will quickly be filled with a couple of million others, who will quickly go at each other’s throats because there’s not enough space and resources at this best place … MichaelHoe
When I saw the effects of the recent heatwave in Canada in an area that normally has a temperate climate, I realised that it is impossible to predict exactly what is going to happen and that nowhere is predictably, reliably safe. The only thing is to try to build a resilient community where you are. Take steps now to reduce your carbon footprint and start building a resilient local community. mrsdoom
I wish to nominate Upper Edinbane on the truly magnificent and wondrous Isle of Skye. The reasons being: the wind sweeps in mainly from the west, clearing the air of pollution. It is not over-inhabited. It is located on a hilly incline, so no danger whatsoever of flooding. There are beautiful views, including those of the village of Edinbane below. There is a true community spirit. One day, I intend to retire there and write poetry to inspire others. John Osborn
You need to move the opinion of everyone you come into contact with, so they become activists and destroy the power of the inactivists. Mark Hayden
You shouldn’t – and such an attitude is akin to rich guys rushing to the lifeboats on a sinking ship. Instead, you should support effective climate action by contributing time, money and effort, then changing your lifestyle accordingly. If you must move, buy an intensive farm and switch it to regenerative methods and/or silviculture, but stop trying to avoid the problem when you should be trying to help solve it. Iain Climie
This has already been well documented. May I suggest the book Six Degrees by Mark Lynas and maybe How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm. The only places people will be able to live: the south coast of Alaska; the coast/west side of the Rockies, from British Columbia up and down into Oregon; the south-west region of Chilean Patagonia and Fireland; the Antarctic peninsula; the central ridge of New Guinea; the Himalaya foothills in east India; western parts of China and maybe the Tibetan plateau; parts of Scandinavia; small enclaves in the Pyrenees, Alps and British mountains; and the coastal regions of Greenland. MV Italiaander, the Netherlands (yes, still, haha)
I chose to move to an abandoned farm in the barely inhabited woods of inland Sweden and based my decisions on these guidelines:
far away from large population centres
far away from places that are strategically desirable (ports, military bases, fertile land, minerals, power plants)
a society with high levels of trust in government and neighbours and with little or no “pre-existing conditions” such as unresolved internal conflicts from the past
As land is cheap here, I was able to buy a lot of land around the house. I’m not the only anticipated climate refugee in this area, so others have come to similar conclusions. Anticipated Climate Refugee (from Belgium)
May I suggest Antarctica. Temperature has already reached 18.3C (64.9F) in summer and it has the world’s fastest increasing temperatures. In the past 50 years, the peninsula warmed almost 3C (5.4F), significantly higher than the global average of 0.9C (1.6F). It’s getting greener, too, and it will soon be possible to keep cattle and grow food. Fresh water will probably be in good supply – thanks to all the melted glaciers. Sadly, there will no penguins. Anders Jalakas, Uddevalla
Personally, I think there are too many unknowns and that survivalism requires too much personal investment to stand even a small chance of success. In my opinion, the climate crisis is first and before all a food crisis in disguise. So my best bet is to find a place in a village with a strong sense of community, with a tradition for growing their own food locally, wherever that may be. Far from the maritime coasts, obviously, and preferably in or near mountains, but not too close to forests, to avoid the risk of uncontrollable fires. Based on the assumption that we expect more warming than cooling, a land that is not necessarily facing south all day. I chose a village in the Tatra mountains of Slovakia. Yannick Cornet
In the late 60s, an anarchist magazine in Germany or the Netherlands published a map of Europe post-nuclear war. The only parts of Europe to avoid fallout were the peninsulas in south-west Ireland. As a result, these places filled up with hippies. As long as you weave your own yoghurt sandals, you couldn’t put a foot wrong in Castletownbere or Ballydehob. Pascal Desmond
I am in the process of moving to Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands. A land of near permanent sunshine and solar power. A land of almost limitless wind for wind power. We don’t waste precious water washing cars, flushing the toilets etc, as all supplied water is desalinated sea water. Drinking water is bottled (yes, I wish it wasn’t plastic bottles). If only other countries harnessed wind and solar in the same way and used desalinated water for most everyday jobs – the world would be a better and safer place. Malcolm Weston
Llandrindod Wells! Here in mid-Wales, we are elevated at 212 metres, so no flooding, plenty of trees in and around the town, more than a metre of rainfall every year. A beautiful town with venues waiting for top class acts to discover, restaurants waiting for top-class chefs – in short, waiting for urban climate refugees. OK, your children will learn Welsh, but hey, “dim problem”. Keith Brelstaff
Hexham, Northumberland. It’s so beautiful, peaceful, acres and acres of beautiful country. Steven Smith
Oklahoma:
Already has storm shelters
Centrally located
Plenty of weed to get you through a hard time
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. Katie S
Not Yuma, Arizona … it’s hot as hell here now. Todd Fredette