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Changing weather and climate patterns have homeowners increasingly concerned.
Thirty percent of 2,000 consumers surveyed by Forbes Home cited worsening weather conditions and climate change as a reason to move in 2022. Adults ages 26 to 41 and over 77 were the most likely to move because of climate change, according to the study. Those living in the Northeastern states expressed the most concern.
“People are moving away from areas prone to wildfires or extreme temperatures,” James Burati of 1-800-PACK-RAT, told Forbes Home. “Widespread fires that hit California, Montana, Oregon, and Washington State and the deadly heat wave that the Pacific Northwest experienced in June 2021 prompted people to evacuate, and many opted not to return.”
About 14.5 million homes were impacted by natural disasters in 2021, which equates to about one in 10 homes in the U.S., according to CoreLogic’s Climate Change Catastrophe Report. Last year alone, natural disasters caused $56.92 billion in damages in the U.S. Disasters include hurricanes, wildfires, and severe weather like tornados, hail, wind, and winter storms.
“The impacts of climate change are going to be felt everywhere, though those most likely to have their livelihoods destroyed or have their health burdened are those with the least amount agency to move,” says Cascade Tuholske, an Earth Institute postdoctoral research scientist for Columbia University, told Forbes Home. “We just have to use our resources and this will require not abandoning our neighbors. We have to collectively adapt to reduce harm for those most vulnerable.”