As global temperatures rise, many people assume that worsening heat will drive residents to abandon warming regions in large numbers. However, new research published in the journal Sustainability reveals that higher temperatures alone are not prompting mass relocations in the United States, but rather slowing the rate of new arrivals to unusually hot areas. These results suggest that economic opportunities and housing conditions shape human mobility far more than gradual climate changes do. Research into climate adaptation typically focuses on large government policies or municipal infrastructure projects. Less attention is given to how individual households adapt to gradual environmental shifts, such as rising average temperatures or prolonged droughts. These slow-moving changes increase financial burdens by raising utility bills and insurance premiums. Over time, such creeping expenses can stress household budgets and affect physical health. Researchers wanted to understand if these persistent temperature anomalies prompt people to pack up and leave their communities. A temperature anomaly is simply the difference between current temperatures and a long-term historical average. Previous research often looked at rapid disasters like …