Abraham Maslow popped up in my mind this afternoon in the context of survival. His hierarchy of needs hails back to 1943, when he published a paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review. At the bottom of his pyramid are physiological needs, which are followed by needs for safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, which comes on top. The most basic of needs are breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis or stability, and excretion. One can argue about some of these, as well as about their order, but they are plausible enough. The needs on top of these are security of the body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. This list requires careful thought, to be sure. In particular, employment is out of place in terms of survival. Similarly, property is hardly plausible in this context, and especially when the going gets tough. The next layer of needs includes friendship, family, and sexual intimacy. Although I would immediately replace family with clan or community, and maybe even tribe, the list is acceptable as it is. This is followed by self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others. At first blush, this is plausible as it is. And on top of the pyramid are morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts. Fine enough. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs provides a useful first step toward a better understanding of survival in the context of climate change. And the bottom of the pyramid is the key to the whole endeavor.