“Please move. It’s too scary.”

⁃ Request of a relative in response to a post of mine abt the #wildfire situation in CA.

Here is a thread about why this is a terrible take. (1/)

#naturaldisaster #climatechange

First, is it just my fam who should move away from a scary #wildfire-prone area or everyone else on the entire inflamed US West Coast? Or what abt ppl who live near any of the other 100s of MILLIONS of hectares that burn around the globe annually? (2/) https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/global-maps/MOD14A1_M_FIRE

And where do all of us on this planet who are afflicted by #wildfire move? Someplace w/ hurricanes? Derechos? Floods? Earthquakes? Volcanoes? Extreme heat? Sea level rise? (3/)

About 85% of Americans live in places that might be considered “at risk” from #naturaldisaster* & 100% of humans live on a planet with a changing climate.** (4/)

* https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/us/after-a-natural-disaster-is-it-better-to-rebuild-or-retreat.html
** my own calculation

I know suggestions to “just move” can come from a loving & compassionate place, but they are not at all emotionally helpful in the moment, nor are they practical, because they ignore innumerable complexities. (5/)

I’m tired

— exhausted —

from so so so many things:

Parenting, working, financial stress, living in a racist, misogynistic & xenophobic society that ignores #climatechange & science in the midst of a #pandemic, AND being surrounded by wildfires for multiple years in a row. (6/)

I also love where I live:

I the land, I my work, & I my community.

This state of being is heartbreaking & it is complex. (7/)

Moving might ease one or two of the many axes of stress & anxiety in my life, but it would not make my life devoid of what still amounts to a tremendous amount of stress & anxiety, a great deal@of which is tied to global #climate. (8/)

Here & now, instead of contemplating fleeing, I’d rather focus on healing.

There are far too many catastrophic things happening on this planet to make fleeing a viable option. I’d rather put my limited energy into making this a more just, equitable & *habitable* world. (9/)

So, if you’re struggling w/ how to help someone who is experiencing a natural disaster, please do not tell them to move. Instead, here are a few tips for support that might be more well-received: https://www.nextavenue.org/help-someone-after-natural-disaster/

Fin. (10/10)