Climate Induced Relocation: Where Will People Go?

A Leader'Speak presentation

Where Will People Go? Climate-induced Relocation - From Retreat to Migration". "Climate-induced relocation scales from individual homeowner buyout to mass international migration and will only grow in importance on every scale. We will discuss the recent history of climate-induced relocation, similarities and differences of various terms, and the relevance of the movement of people to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction." According to the Atlantic Council, today seventeen communities across the United States have already begun the process of relocating part or all of their infrastructure further inland due to climate change effects. They are predicting that By 2100, at least 414 towns, villages, and cities will be flooded no matter how much we decrease carbon emissions. That equates to about 4.3 million Americans displaced from their homes. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) predicts that rising sea levels will impact, over thirteen million people along US coastlines. This report is telling the story of the years to come. What is the real impact of climate-induced relocation? It poses significant challenges for population centers along the coast and major rivers as well as both the federal and state government agencies tasked with providing technical assistance and funding. The United States and other nations do not have policies or institutional frameworks to accommodate these challenges. There is a lack of policy and even real policy discussions despite the urgent need for action. Right now, we can plan for the relocation of populations, and adapt policies and strategies that can and will protect people from economic loss, loss of farmland, and loss of life. The solution cannot be a top-down heavy-handed approach, it has to include the communities that are impacted by the policy and the people that are affected by the loss of economic opportunities.

0 Comments
Authors
SpeaknSpark
Todd T DeVoe