The climate immigrants are coming
This is the nightmare ABOUT a warming planet
I don’t want to move unless I have to. I’m willing to put in the effort, but hate the idea that I could be forced to migrate from the climate. A million other people, all clamoring for basic living necessities– water, food, housing, healthcare. No thanks. Everyone will be looking for a place to stay, trying to avoid the jacked-up prices, trying to find services that are not overwhelmed by demanding customers. And as if that scenario isn’t bad enough, trying to relocate when the wet-bulb temperature is a above 95 degrees Fahrenheit is a non-starter. That combination of heat and humidity will kill you.
Yes, I like the creature comforts of our lifestyle, and my family has moved many times in the past decades, but it has always been our choice. Not because of an external, natural phenomena. But is it natural that the oceans heat up, that the shorelines rise, that storms pound us with an unmanageable force? Actually yes, it is natural. What is not natural is the cause: greenhouse gas emissions released into our atmosphere. And the consequence is human migration.
climate refugees will change society
The problem with climate change messaging is that a 2°C threshold for global warming above pre-industrial levels is a pithy round number. Climate scientists, policymakers and the public can grasp it, but the warning has no teeth. If you warn countries with this sanitized number, they yawn. Not their problem…unless they are coastal communities, small island nations, drought-prone regions, and areas subject to extreme weather events. Then the scale of displacement could reach hundreds of millions.
Decarbonization:
My current novel in progress, Never Ending Earth, has a protagonist who’s thinks he might have found a way to get rid of carbon fiber. Get my Geoffrey Letter for updates.
Some countries have taken the collective responsibility for decarbonizing seriously. Denmark, Sweden and Norway lead with renewable energy, carbon taxes and electric vehicle infrastructure. Costa Rica is generating nearly 100% of its electricity from renewable sources and has extensive reforestation programs. And the United Kingdom has phased out coal power.
“Europe is the world leader with respect to the pace of decarbonization. Despite multiple jurisdictions, complex permitting requirements, high population density and wind/solar locations far from urban centers, Europe has demonstrated the realm of the possible on decarbonization, reaching a 50% renewable share of electricity consumption by the end of 2024.”
Watch out for the
climate refugees
The warning those countries who take the NIMBY approach (not in my back yard) is this: Those populations displaced by climate are headed our way. And your way. It’s everyone’s problem.
Maybe the message should be: Watch out for the climate refugees. (I’m not saying take care of climate refugees. That is important, but I honestly don’t know where to begin discussing that topic.)
You’ll see the warning signs: over-burdened infrastructure and crumbling public health systems, dooming millions to disease, pandemics, and a crisis in nutrition. This is scary stuff. It’s enough to give me ochlophobia—a fear of mob-like crowds. That threat is worth heeding by throwing your organic waste in the compost and keeping your trash out of landfills and the oceans.
