When to Go.

“We know we need to move, but how soon do we need to do it?” is a question I get a lot.

There are no simple answers: every personal climate strategy is a unique set of solutions for a particular set of problems. But some of the key questions we need to ask ourselves are:

* What are we gaining by staying put? Are there future events (e.g., a child’s graduation, retirement, a job promotion) we’re looking to see through before we go?

* What are the costs of climate relocation, and will we be more or less able to meet them later?

* How close to a moment of loss in value and capacity (or even catastrophic direct climate impacts) is the place we are now? How late will be too late?

In this delightful brief tour of the tempo of discontinuity, I try to answer those questions by suggesting three basic indicators.

Which ‘indicator light’ is flashing where you live?

- Alex

A bunch of you have asked when my next personal ruggedization classes will be. I’ll be more formally announcing this in my next letter, but my next live Ruggedize Your Life: The Basics class (a concentrated 101 in planning a personal climate strategy) will be held on Thursday, January 30th, from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

If you know you want to take the class, click the link below to save your spot:

Ruggedize Your Life: The Basics

Thursday, January 30th, from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

Class will be recorded and the recording sent to all registered participants the following week.

More soon.

Alex

- My next Crash Course on Personal Ruggedization will be in February, details to come. (You can read a description of the last course here.)

- Stay connected on social: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky

- I have a new piece in Mother Jones, Trump Won’t Confront the Climate Crisis. He’ll Feast Off It. (I don’t write the headlines…)

- Check out my books: Worldchanging and Carbon Zero

- View my TED Global talks on sustainability and cities.

- I’ve spoken with the media hundreds of times. Recently, I was featured in a NY Times Magazine piece, "This Isn't the California I Married." My writing was the jumping-off point for an episode of This American Life titled Unprepared for What Has Already Happened, as well as the podcasts Without; The Big Story; Everybody In the Pool and 99% Invisible’s Not Built for This series.

- I have a new podcast, When We Are, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast and other podcast platforms around the world. Please check it out, rate, review, follow and share these episodes. Thank you!