Choosing Where to Live in the UK to Avoid Climate Change

If there is one thing that is certain in life it is that nothing is certain.

Climate change is a huge concern but nobody can be certain what the effects will be over the next 5, 10, 20, or even 30 years.

However, already we are seeing the effects of climate change in increased flooding and hotter temperatures, with every passing year setting a new record.

When looking for a new home we usually take into consideration the risk of flooding because it has an immediate effect on things like increased home insurance, not to mention the devastating loss of irreplaceable possessions, but we rarely consider the risks of climate change in the future.

Many people will consider the long-term schooling needs of their children so choose a location with great schools and amenities, but pay scant regard to how climate change may affect that area over the years that their children are in those schools.

If we assume that your child will be in school for the next 11 years, consider how much your local area has changed in that time, and think how much more climate change is an issue now than it was then.

Now just consider for a moment what your area will be like, what the effects of climate change will be, in the next 11 years.

The effects of climate change are accumulating and are rapidly changing our world. But we always think that the most devastating effects of climate change will happen sometime in the future.

But today is yesterday’s tomorrow and the future is already behind us.

Buying a home is usually a long-term investment and moving to the wrong part of the country could see the effects of climate change decimate your investment, not to mention your health and wellbeing.

So in this week’s home moving blog, we will look at the effect of climate change on your home and where would be the best places to move to in the UK to avoid climate change.

What is Climate Migration?

Climate migration is the need to move home due to the effects of dramatic weather events.

We are lucky in the UK that there are not the extremes of weather that many countries face and, although not immune to climate change, the effects may not be as devastating on a national level as many countries will face.

That said, losing your home in a localised flood or landslide, or irreparable damage due to subsidence or drought will be traumatising enough.

Every year we are seeing dramatic footage of flooded homes, or cliffs eroding away, the result of which is that many will never be able to return to their home and will have to move to a safer area.

Many parts of the UK are prone to flooding now, and many more will be added to that list as rainfall increases, and, as tides continue to rise, coastal areas as well may see many climate refugees looking for a safer place to live.

In a worst-case scenario, we could see many parts of the UK uninhabitable and the coastlines pushed further inland each year forcing whole towns and villages to flee further inland.

Although it is not likely that we will see climate migration on a national scale in the UK it is conceivable that we could see climate migration on a regional scale.

You may also like to read: Intentional Community Living. Many people are concerned about climate change and wish to live a more sustainable life but lack the land and money to do so. All over the country, Intentional Communities are springing up. These are groups of people with a common interest or goal who choose to live in a like-minded community. In this guide, we tell you all you need to know about living in an intentional community.

How Does Climate Change Affect Homes?

All homes are subject to building regulations, they must be built to a certain standard, but the standards change every year, so what was relevant 5 years ago is now probably outdated.

So whilst building regulations mean that your home can withstand extremes of weather, the weather in the future may be far more extreme than homes are designed to withstand now.

The most obvious risks to your home are storm damage, high winds, snow-load or flooding.

But weather also degrades building materials and they deteriorate quicker in more extreme weather.

The climate can affect not just your home but the soil that your home is built upon which can lead to subsidence and erosion.

Whilst many of the effects of climate change on your home will not be immediate, it is worth bearing in mind the risks for the future and that regular maintenance and replacement will become ever more important.

Climate change may affect your home in the following ways:

• Extreme cold can affect the durability of building materials
• Drainage may be inadequate for the increase in precipitation
• More homes will need flood defences
• Hotter weather will mean buildings need better cooling
• Stronger storms will cause more building damage
• Older homes will need better insulation
• Older homes may not be able to withstand the weight of heavy snowfall
• There is an increased risk of subsidence
• Soil erosion will become a bigger problem

You may also like to read: Tiny House Living. In a bid to live a simpler, cheaper, and more eco-friendly life, many people are now looking at moving into a tiny home. In this guide, we share all you need to know about the pros and cons of living in a tiny home, the costs, and the legalities of tiny house living.

How Can You Prepare Your Home for Climate Change?

How you prepare your home to cope with climate change will vary from place to place depending upon what the biggest risks are, but being prepared now could save you a lot of heartache and money in the future, as well as being better for your health and well-being.

Heating and Cooling

We are already seeing hotter and longer summers as well as colder winters, so heating and cooling your home is a priority for many people now and will become more so soon.

Air conditioners and cooling fans will become far more common in homes as we try to keep our homes cooler.

Ceramic floor tiles will help keep your home cooler too but are also harder to heat in the winter.

Roofs made from lighter-coloured tiles will help reflect the heat away from your home keeping it cooler.

And some homes will need to consider heat-reflecting windows and solar screening such as blinds, shutters, and curtains.

Insulation will be even more crucial, and even more of an issue in older homes.

Regular Home Maintenance

There are already more frequent and more violent storms with higher winds that have the potential to cause significant damage to your home, so regular maintenance and checks on things like chimney stacks and roof tiles are becoming far more important.

You should regularly check trees for broken or weak branches that could break off and cause damage to your home.

Also, ensure that fence posts, panels, and gates are in good condition.

Secure away things that could be blown around in high winds that could cause damage to your home.

A well-maintained home will not only be safer and more comfortable to live in but will help protect your investment.

You may also like to read: Which are The Best UK Home Blogs to Follow? If you have an interest in sustainable living, doing your own home repairs and maintenance, growing your own fruit and veg, or learning how to be more energy efficient then here is our pick of the best blogs with invaluable information and guides.

Flood Defences

Increased rainfall and melting heavy snowfall may mean that your current drains are unable to drain away quickly enough leading to flooding and standing water.

Regular cleaning of gutters and drains will help, but in the future, it may mean bigger soakaways or means of directing water away from the home are required.

Ideally look at ways to harvest and store the excess water which you will need in the hotter months to irrigate the garden, wash the car, or clean paths.

Lawns absorb water whereas paved patios do not, so design your garden with plenty of lawn space.

Also, use shingle instead of concrete where possible as they allow water to drain away.

If there is a risk of flooding to your home then treat as much woodwork as possible with preservatives as should the worst happen the wood will dry out quicker and sustain less damage.

Ensure that your kitchen is of marine grade.

Keep a good supply of sandbags as flood defence.

Raising electrical sockets above waist height will also reduce any remedial costs should your home flood.

Replace wooden floors with concrete ones, although a difficult and costly job, if your home does flood then it will dry out much more quickly.

Replace carpet with ceramic tiles on the ground floor, again they will dry out quicker and be much easier to clean should the worst happen.

Hopefully, you will never experience a house flood but these few precautions will help prevent a lot of damage and you are likely to make big savings on your home insurance too.

Plants

Apart from the obvious benefit of reducing CO2, plants can help protect your home from the effects of climate change.

Plants that climb up the outside of your home will provide a cooling effect in the summer and act as an insulator in the winter.

Trees will also provide shade to keep your home cool but should not be close enough to the home that their roots cause damage to the property.

One of the effects of extreme weather is how it erodes soil and can cause subsidence.

Ground cover plants will have roots that spread underground and can help keep the soil together. Clover, rye, and vetch are particularly good for erosion control.

With summers getting warmer plants will get drier quicker, so along with water harvesting in the wetter months, look at plants that can withstand drier conditions.

And be mindful of fire. As our gardens become drier they will pose more of a fire risk to our homes.

Create a fire break between shrubs and lawns, and the home or outbuildings, by having at least 3 metres of gravel between them.

You may also like to read: How to Find Your Forever Home and Never Have to Move Again in which we explore the topic of forever homes and help you find yours.

Best Places to Live in the UK Considering Climate Change

Virtually nowhere is going to be immune from the effects of climate change but different regions will experience different effects.

So, for example, there may be more violent storms in the north with very high rainfall but in the south, it may be considerably hotter and experience droughts.

The National Trust has just released an interactive map that layers the effects of climate change across the UK over the next 20 years.  

It projects a worst-case scenario but nonetheless is extremely useful in gauging how different areas will be affected in the coming years

You can select which areas are going to be more prone to storm damage or which areas will suffer from high humidity and extreme heat for example.

It is also useful and relevant for your home search today as you can choose to view the risk of storm damage or flooding for example as it currently is in that area.

The BBC and Met Office also have a useful tool that projects the temperature and rainfall down to a 12km square grid. You just enter a postcode and it will take the average for the grids around you. 

These maps could be useful so that you avoid areas that will potentially flood, allowing you to look for homes in an elevated position.

Equally, you might suffer from a respiratory problem exasperated by humidity, so these maps will show you areas to potentially avoid.

There is no definitive list of the best places to live to avoid climate change in the UK, every region will be affected, just in different ways.

Choosing a home with the best means of defence against the effects of climate change in that region would seem to make sense.

It is better to be prepared and not need it than need it and not be prepared.

You might like to read: Future Proof Your Home: How to Decide Where to Move Next in which we look at all the things you may want to consider when finding a home and area that is future-proof.

Choosing Where to Live Due to Climate Change

Unfortunately, many of us have pressing day-to-day concerns and worries, let alone worrying about what might or might not happen in the future.

But the future comes all too quickly and some aspects of climate change are already here. Flooding, extreme storms, and gale-force winds in the UK are now a frequent event.

The Environment Agency warns that in less than 30 years the sea around the UK will rise 23cm yet only a 9cm rise is needed to cause the Thames to flood major parts of London.

A report by Climate Central warns that rising sea levels will impact every region of the UK in the next decade.

They project that it will not only be coastal towns and villages affected but London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast will be badly affected too. 

And if there is one thing we have learnt in the last few years, it is that we have very little control over nature.

We can try to protect ourselves, and we can do our best to control things, but nature is an incredibly powerful force.

That said, it is sensible to consider what the future may hold when making such a big decision as moving home.

Just as you may consider solar panels or electric car charging points to future-proof your new home, how climate change will affect different parts of the UK is another aspect of your home search that you may want to consider, especially if you are looking for a forever home.

So what else would it be prudent to consider when choosing the best places to live to avoid the worst effects of climate change in the UK?

You may also like to read: Moving Home to Live the Good Life. In this guide, we look at the things you can do, and the small steps you can take to start living a more self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle.

Flood Risk

We would assume that living on the coast, near a river, or a flood plain would pose a risk and generally would avoid those areas, but standing water is going to become a big problem as rainfall increases dramatically.

So knowing what the soil type is, what the land was historically used for, and if there are problems with standing water or drains that cannot cope with today’s rainfall is useful information.

Local news channels will report on roads that frequently are closed due to heavy rain, or local football pitches that flood.

All of this type of information could be useful when considering where to move next.

Looking for homes in elevated positions or with a large garden may also help climate change protect your home.

A home in an elevated position would be safer from floodwater and a large garden will allow you to have more control over water harvesting, growing your own food, and planting to stop soil erosion.

Extreme Heat

You will probably factor in a budget to redecorate or modernise your new home but it would also be prudent to think about how you can prepare the home for climate change when extreme heat may affect that region.

Consider how easy or difficult the home will be to keep cool.

So if you are going to replace the windows, you may want to look at heat-reflecting glass.

Consider how expensive or troublesome it will be to install cooling systems or whether you are going to need to replace carpets for cooler tiles for example.

Look at the materials the home is made from and how the heat will affect their longevity.

If you are landscaping the garden look at the type of plants you need to be growing, and if you are changing the guttering on the home then maybe look at water harvesting opportunities.

Drought Prone Areas

Water harvesting will be an important feature of homes in drought-prone areas. So if you are looking for a forever home this is something you will want to keep in mind.

As the effects of climate change are felt across the world crops will likely fail and therefore economies will fail. This could potentially lead to extremely high food prices.

You might therefore want to seek a home with a large garden that allows you to grow a good selection and quantity of fruit and vegetables.

Along with the problems of water harvesting and selecting the correct crops to grow in your garden, the other thing to be aware of is wildfires.

So areas with dense woodland or moorland may be high-risk areas in the future and therefore thinking about how easy it would be to create firebreaks may be something you will want to consider.

Little things that you can do now will make the future easier, safer, and more comfortable for you.

You could also look at not only homes that are more eco-friendly and climate change friendly but also the neighbourhood you are moving to.

How walkable is the neighbourhood? How good is public transport so that you do not need to rely on your car? What eco-friendly initiatives do the local council have?

Maybe choosing where to live is unlikely to be based purely on climate change considerations but the future of our planet, what lies in store for us in the very near future, is something that we can be mindful of when moving home.

You may also like to read: The Pros and Cons of Buying a Home with a Garden. Is having a garden the utopia you believe it to be? Will having a garden give you enjoyment and help create some wonderful memories or is it a noisy, time-consuming, and very expensive addition to your life? In this guide we seek to answer those questions and more.

Eco-Friendly Ways to Move Home

Whatever little things that we can do as individuals to help in the fight against climate change we should do.

Moving home can be wasteful and not particularly planet-friendly when you consider all the packing materials that are not recyclable.

You could consider how to make your home move more eco-friendly in the following ways:

• Use plastic tote boxes
• Use packing boxes that do not require packing tape
• Use recycled packing boxes
• Pack your items in suitcases rather than cardboard boxes
• Wrap fragile items in clothes rather than bubble wrap
• Move fewer things
• Furnish your home with recycled furniture

You may also like to read: Eco-Friendly Ways to Move Home in which we look at every aspect of your home move to see what eco-friendly ways there are to make your home move as green as possible.

Many removal companies care just as much about climate change and the state of our planet as you and if you want an eco-friendly home move then seek out those companies.