(UPDATED 9/12/19) Description of a climate change where to live survey with a list of places climatologists would consider living to avoid climate change related natural disasters.
It was with some surprise that I noted that Sacramento was on the list of cities mentioned by climatologists in response to a question from Business Insider asking where they would consider living to avoid natural disasters resulting from climate change.
All eleven of the climatologists were reported to have made mention that no area is entirely safe, but some suggested that there are areas that could be less vulnerable than most. Below is a condensed version of the Business Insider climate change where to live survey results:
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
What They Said:
Sacramento, California
Michael Anderson, the state climatologist at the California Department of Water Resources, said: “California’s sea level rise is less of a concern as you move up the north coast.”
Vivk Shandas, an urban-planning professor at Portland State University, said: “Sacramento should have fewer concerns than most cities when it comes to the cumulative effects of hurricanes, sea level rise, tornadoes, flooding, droughts, landslides, and wildfires.”
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Richard Alley, a climate science professor at Pennsylvania State University, said: “Tulsa is safe from sea level rise.”
Boulder, Colorado
Camilo Mora, an associate professor who researches biodiversity at the University of Hawaii, said: “People should look for places where they can live self-sufficiently with their own agricultural system and body of water that doesn’t depend on melting ice.”
The folks conducting the survey thought that Boulder fit the description.
San Diego, California
Sarah Kapnick, a climate scientist at Princeton University who conducted a temperature study, said: “San Diego will gain three mild days per year by the end of the century.”
Note: Her study also found that cities in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico could lose weeks of mild weather due to climate change by the end of the century.
Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota
David Robinson, the New Jersey State Climatologist and a professor at Rutgers University, said: “Minneapolis is not likely to get much colder that it is now, and it is likely that summers will also avoid persistent heat.”
Charlotte, North Carolina
Barry Keim, Louisiana state climatologist, said: “Charlotte is far enough inland to avoid the worst of the Atlantic hurricane season and while most cities are getting hotter Charlotte has begun to cool down over time.”
Portland, Oregon
Kristy Dahl, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said: “Compared to other coastal states Oregon has less property risk and less area exposed to sea level rise.”
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist and a professor at Texas A&M University, said: “Pittsburgh is safe from hurricanes and unlikely to experience increased drought.”
Anywhere But Hawaii
Hiro Murakami, an associate research scholar at Princeton who studies hurricanes and tropical cyclones, cautioned against making any recommendations for places to live – except to warn people about moving to the Hawaiian Islands.
So there you have it – for what it is worth. I found the climate change where to live list interesting, but as we all know there are all types and degrees of risk and no way to know for certain what the future will bring.
See related blog post: Where Does Sacramento Rank?
UPDATES
(9/12/19) Broken link deleted.
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