Yes, we need to protect the world.
But you need to protect YOUR world.

We know that studies, news stories, and editorials increasingly describe the effects of climate change in dollar terms. But there’s another development: analysts and the press are increasingly using the word ‘you.’ Take a look at just a few articles from last week.

6 ways climate change will negatively impact your wallet (AOL)

How does climate change impact you? (Idaho State Journal)

Climate change cost you the McDonald’s dollar menu (Wall St. Journal)

Flights are going to cost you more because of climate change (Vice)

Sorta like the title of my book, Climate-Proof Your Personal Finances, which details scores of defensive actions being taken by individuals, families and communities.The bad news, of course, is that very few Americans are thinking about how to defend their own finances and lifestyles against creeping or sudden impacts from climate change.

The good news is that there’s still time for you to be ahead of the crowd: choosing a more climate-proof career before the rush, selling certain assets and buying others before the market becomes climate-aware, and choosing a hometown that protects its residents from climate costs before others move there and drive up home prices. Not to mention helping friends and family see what’s coming so they can make good choices early.

It’s good that researchers and writers are changing their focus from protecting nature’s polar bears and coral reefs to protecting your earnings and savings. It would even be nice to think that my book has been leading the way.