In the final episode of Season 6, Connect the Dots host Rob Verchick and his guests talk about climate migration.
Climate refugees can come from anywhere: from cities and suburbia to some of the remotest places on Earth. They may have jobs dictated by the weather. If it’s too hot or dry, they’re relocating to find new employment. Some may have lost their homes to extreme weather events and can’t afford to rebuild. In a few worst-case scenarios, entire communities are having to evacuate due to sea level rise, shore erosion, wildfire destruction, or loss of industry.
The World Bank estimates there could be as many as 216 million climate migrants by 2050, including 105 million in Africa, 89 million in south and east Asia, and 17 million in Latin America. Frequent droughts and floods caused by the crisis are displacing people from their communities, and they’re doing so at an alarming rate. Strikingly, the world is not ready for this migration.
Addressing this problem, Rob and his guests consider crucial questions, including: Where should these populations go? How do we support their needs? What policies should national, state, and local governments put in place to ensure a smooth, just transition process for climate refugees?
Listen below, or return to the main Connect the Dots page.
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For more information related to this episode…
More on Our Guests:
 | Matt Kahn is Provost Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California and the author of Adapting to Climate Change (Yale University Press 2021). View bio. |
 | Rachel Cleetus is a policy director at the Union for Concerned Scientists. View bio. |
 | Ilan Kelman is a professor of disasters and health at University College London. View bio. |
 | Valerie Mueller is an assistant professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. View bio. |
Related CPR Resources:
- Reaching Higher Ground: Avenues to Secure and Manage New Land for Communities Displaced by Climate Change
- From Surviving to Thriving: Relocation and Migration
- CPRBlog posts on climate change
Other resources:
- Rob Verchick in Temple Law Review: “The Long Goodbye: How to Build a Responsible Climate Migration Program“
- Associated Press: “Report: Climate change could see 200 million move by 2050,” and “US: More threats, more desperate refugees as climate warms“
- CNBC: “Climate migration is already happening — for homeowners who can afford it“
- Undark: “New Mexico’s Chile Pepper Farmers Feel the Heat of Climate Change“
- The New Statesman: “Why climate migrants are missing from the debate at Cop26“
- ReliefWeb: “Climate Refugees are Increasingly Victims of Exploitation“
Special thanks to:
- The College of Law at Loyola University New Orleans
- The College of Music and Media at Loyola University New Orleans
We’re also grateful to the musical artists featured in this episode, who make their work available to us through a Creative Commons license. Please check them out!
