ClimateHaven.com

There’s no such thing as perfect safety — but there is such a thing as smart planning. A climate haven isn’t about escaping the planet; it’s about choosing wisely how — and where — we live on it.

This essay opens ClimateHaven.com’s 2026 editorial year and sets the philosophical foundation for our work ahead.

by Michael Hanrahan, Founder of ClimateHaven.com

January 1, 2026

When Scientific American declared in April last year that “There Is No Such Thing as a Climate Haven,” it made an important point: nowhere on Earth is entirely safe from the disruptions of a warming planet. Floods now reach inland towns, heat waves strike traditionally cool valleys, and wildfires leap mountain ranges. Perfection doesn’t exist.

But the conclusion that “nowhere is safe” misses a crucial truth. Climate change is global, yet its impacts are uneven. Geography, governance, infrastructure, and community resilience still matter. While there may be no perfect refuge, some regions are clearly better positioned to endure what’s coming — and some communities are already demonstrating how adaptation can work in practice.

That understanding is the foundation of Climate Haven, a project I founded after two decades producing science-based documentaries on oceans, weather, ecosystems, and environmental change.

The concept of climate havens isn’t about escape; it’s about foresight.

It’s a mindset, not a zip code.

I define a climate haven not as a walled fortress or a luxury retreat, but as a framework for intelligent adaptation: lower exposure to extreme hazards, reliable water, strong local governance, renewable energy potential, and — most critically — a culture that values cooperation over denial.

Regions around the Great Lakes, the Pacific Northwest, parts of inland coastal California, and sections of New England often share these characteristics. They are not immune to climate change, but they tend to experience fewer extremes, possess greater adaptive capacity, and invest more consistently in long-term planning. In a warming world, those advantages matter.

The debate over whether climate havens “exist” reminds me of a high-school parliamentary debate I once had with Tucker Carlson — yes, that Tucker Carlson — nearly forty years ago. At the boarding school we both attended, formal debates were a seasonal tradition. During the Christmas term of 1987, I challenged the room’s undefeated champion to debate a deceptively simple question: Is Santa Claus real?

As the challenger, I had the privilege of defining the terms. I argued that Santa Claus was not a literal man, but the spirit of generosity and shared belief. Once defined that way, the argument became nearly impossible to refute.

The same logic applies to climate havens.

If the term is interpreted, as Scientific American suggested, to mean total immunity from climate change, then it is indeed a myth. But if a climate haven is understood as a place — and a mindset — grounded in resilience, preparation, and adaptability, then yes, it absolutely exists.

That mindset rejects both fatalism and fantasy. It is the belief that through foresight, collaboration, and design, we can create safer, more sustainable ground — literally and figuratively. It encourages communities to invest in water security, regenerative land use, wildfire mitigation, energy resilience, and local food systems.

This conversation is not theoretical. Between 2020 and 2023, more than 3.2 million Americans relocated in response to climate-related events. Climate mobility is no longer a future possibility; it is a present-day reality.

Scientific American was right to warn against escapism and privilege. But dismissing the idea of climate havens entirely risks discouraging proactive planning. The goal is not to flee the problem, but to prepare intelligently — and equitably — ensuring that resilience is not reserved only for those with means.

The truth is simple: no place is perfectly safe, but some places — and some mindsets — are far better prepared. Recognizing that difference isn’t denial. It’s design.

Climate resilience begins not with relocation, but with redefinition — of safety, of community, and of the future we choose to build together.

Michael Hanrahan is a documentary producer and founder of ClimateHaven.com, a platform exploring where and how people can live more safely and sustainably in a changing climate. He splits his time between his climate havens in Laguna Beach, California, and Loreto, Baja California Sur.