While there are no solid predictions for how many people will move to the Green Mountain State as a result of the climate emergency, or even when that migration could occur, some Vermonters are already thinking about climate migration and what the state needs to do to prepare.
Ocean waves continue to come ashore a day after a winter storm in Scituate, Mass., Jan. 28, 2015. (Michael Dwyer/AP)
As the planet warms, many areas around the world may become uninhabitable. On the east coast of the United States, especially in population centers like Boston and New York, rising sea levels and increased coastal flooding are likely to force people to move inland to places that are higher, drier and relatively affordable – places like Vermont. Several experts say Vermont could learn from a current catastrophe-caused population influx.
The COVID pandemic fueled a real estate boom in Vermont, as those with the money to move and the ability to work remotely searched for safer places to live. The average price of housing rose 33% across the state from November 2019 to November 2020, according to a report from the Vermont Association of Realtors.