Climate-Related Disasters

2023 fires popping back up in Canada. Some of these could go for multiple years. The problem is exacerbated by lack of snowfall, as most of the storms that have hit the Pacific coast of the US should have been further north, but a weakened and curvier jet stream has pushed stuff south and created a winter drought in Canada.
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Beneath the ground in Western Canada, dozens of so-called "zombie fires" that started last year are still burning.

And even though it's the dead of winter, the lack of snow this year is compounding ongoing drought conditions, leaving Canadians already bracing for another brutal forest fire season.
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This year there are 10 to 12 times more zombie fires burning in Western Canada than usual. They smolder beneath the surface of the boreal forest through the winter, sustained by layers of dried peat and organic matter.
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According to Natural Resources Canada, snow cover has decreased by 5 to 10 percent per decade since 1981. And this winter was marked by mild winter temperatures, which were on average 4 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms, according to the environment ministry.

Given the current conditions, "it will only take a little wind or a lightning storm for the leaves and needles of conifers to catch fire. It is an extremely flammable fuel," said Marc-Andre Parisien, a Canadian Forest Service researcher.

"The stage is set for a very active spring, at least in the western part of the country," added Mike Flannigan, a professor at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/zombie-bl...3Jhjvm9P3rMIiCLP6yHItOkTM6e7oZDj03Xypk_5H5Fhy

(4 degrees Celsius = 7.2 degree Fahrenheit.)

 

Duluth does have a lot going for it long term. I'm not ready to buy a house there yet, but soon enough, the places that will have lesser impacts because of their location and have a governmental structure/educated populace that can innovate and adapt will become the priciest refuges. Duluth is probably on that track--already you see big money buying up rural lands in northern regions betting that the wheat regions will shift with the climate.

If you have kids or grandkids, the best thing you can do is give them options. That could be dual citizenship in an EU country that effectively doubles your geographic options and gives you many more governmental options, or it could be buying 10 acres outside of Duluth, 5 acres in the PNW, or 2 acres in Vermont and sitting on it. Because of current weather, those places in the northern Midwest will be cheaper longer while the east coast money will flock to New England (already happening) and west coast money will hammer the best places in the PNW (already happening). The problem is there are no obvious answers--the CA lady in Duluth is right--every place will be impacted. You just have to make a good guess and put your bet on the table. Smart families and groups of friends will pool money to make sure they have options.

We are no longer in the prevention stage. We're in the response stage and too many places are brittle, even as they prosper today. Concurrently, there is little appetite to meaningfully respond on a national or state level, leaving it up to individuals to manage the crisis as they can. More and more people will realize that every day and the amount of money they have and the timing of the planning they do will be critical. Weather, water, food/arable land, educated neighbors, good government, innovation, and adaptability will all matter greatly. You don't want to be the last one in your neighborhood or the last one pulling up to the gasoline pump. You want to be one of the first in a good place and bring other smart people with you. Good luck.