Let’s try to figure out how to best position ourselves and our families for success in a changed climate.

We’re all at the beginning of a journey into an unknown world. Some speculate about what’s ahead, none are truly certain. Will we encounter land or water? Lush forest or a barren desert? Will we find food? Will anyone else be there? Can we ever come back? If we can’t begin answering those questions, how can we know what to pack? What skills will we need to thrive in this new place?

Decisions you make now about investments, geography, your job, acquired skills, and even your mindset will affect your ability to thrive in this increasingly harsh environment.

Climate change has already manifested in food shortages, floods, fires; and impacts are poised to get much, much worse. Consider coastal property values going to zero, inland flood damage becoming more widespread, water shortages get common, food prices skyrocketing, wildfires raging. Imagine pandemics, government instability, social strife, and resource wars. Envision the foundation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs being decimated by a Category 5 hurricane—the very basic building blocks of human well-being threatened or utterly destroyed. Old Testament stuff.

The good news for us, if it can be called that, is that we know this is coming. Unlike mitigation* and state-scale adaptation, the topic of individual-facing climate change adaptation and preparation strategy hasn’t been exhaustively explored. To be clear, the focus isn’t on how to deal with a single food shortage or a weather event, this isn’t a prepper-focused site. Rather, this is about building positions and systems to negotiate long-term systemic volatility. I hope this grows into a community, because my research and ideas will be better with your critique. Hopefully we’ll all learn together. We’re heading into uncharted territory and it doesn’t matter whether its accepted or even noticed, we’re still going. It’ll help to do some metaphorical reconnaissance and get equipped for success in the clime ahead.

*We all have opportunities to help slow the rate of change. We each can and should take significant actions in our lives to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. While this site doesn’t actively focus on mitigation, good resources to learn about ways of lessening emissions (and why it matters) are plentiful and worthy of review.