Packing Up, Due To Climate Change

Scientists believe that some whales, dolphins, and birds are shifting their migration patterns in response to climate change. But what about humans?

A new report looks at how rising sea levels, declining rainfall, and extreme weather may force families, villages, and even entire countries to relocate. We read the report and wondered, how one defines ecomigrant? And who’s to say that climate change is driving their decision to move on? Here to answer these questions and more is Alex de Sherbinin, geographer at Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network and co-author of the study "In Search of Shelter." (PDF)

Columbia collaborated with several other organizations for this report, including the UN and CARE International, to study parts of the world where changes in climate are drastic. Some of the worst-affected areas, de Sherbinin says, including
glacier melt in the Himalayas, drying trends in West Africa, sea level rise in the Ganges River dlta,and sea level rise in the Nile River delta. The study surveyed 2,000 people in 23 areas around the world who are already leaving their homes for climate-related reasons.

The New York Times: Making the Case for Climate as a Migration Driver

Earth Institute News: Climate Change Could Drive Vast Human Migrations

In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement (PDF)

(Drawing courtesy Piotr Fajfer/Oxfam International via Flickr/Creative Commons)

It’s only the most committed of us who would feel compelled to move across the globe because of climate change. But families are checking their household energy use to curb costly bills. Youth Radio’s Antony Jaureguí grew up in sunny southern California, and has never worried much about where energy comes from and how much he uses. But on a trip to his parents’ hometown in Mexico, he begins to question why he never questions his energy use. You can hear his story at the Public Radio Exchange.

(Photo by Markybon via Flickr/Creative Commons)