Seeking New Homes: The Climate Refugee Crisis

By Gracie Carney and Rachel Gray

As we have grown up, we have witnessed the world around us change. We learn at a very

young age about Earth’s predictability, how the water cycle works, or the life cycle of a baby

bird. The world is changing rapidly, too fast to predict what climate disaster will strike next. The

one thing that is predictable is that it will affect every person on Earth. Many regions such as

Siberia, India, parts of Central America, and the United States are already in a climate refugee

crisis. Regions like Iceland are seeing their ecosystem change drastically before them. Young

people like Rebeca Sabnam are fighting back, but without support from our infrastructure there

is only so much raising awareness can do. Climate change is our greatest global issue, one that

threatens every person and region on Earth.

As many as 13 million Americans will become climate refugees by the turn of the

century (Clarke; Shank, 2019). In the article “California Fires, Rising Seas: Millions of Climate

refugees Will Dwarf Dust Bowl by 2100” the climate crisis in the U.S and the likelihood of

displacement on a massive level is explored. From the recent wildfires of southern California,

which have driven some 200,000 people from their homes, to the devastation Puerto Rico faced

at the hands of Hurricane Maria, it is becoming more evident that the coasts of the United States

are at the mercy of climate change (Clarke; Shank, 2019). With this in mind, the authors

explored efforts made by the government of the United States to relocate and effectively prepare

cities that are in the path of potential destruction.

With California, Texas, and Florida accounting for approximately one third of America’s

population, the number of people who could be affected by climate crisis is huge. Because

urbanization has been a trend in the U.S. since industrialization, a large amount of the population
live in cities or suburban areas. The United States’ two largest cities, New York and Los

Angeles, are both along coast lines. Keeping the economic aspects of a country’s geography in

mind, rising sea levels and displacement on massive scales aren’t the only way climate change

could have a lasting effect on the U.S. and in turn the globe. Mega droughts are predicted to

happen at the turn of the century, which could have severe impacts on agriculture, as well as the

economy and trade conditions with our global trade partners (Clarke; Shank, 2019).

Three degrees Celsius does not seem like a lot, but it is enough to enormously disrupt the

lives of those in Siberia. As Anton Troianovski and Chris Mooney state in the article “Radical

warming in Siberia leaves millions on unstable ground”, people in Siberia are watching their

lives melt. The permafrost, a thick layer of soil that remains frozen for all of the year, is thawing.

The surrounding farmland is now covered in swamp and lakes, rendering it useless to the people

who once depended on it (Mooney; Troianovsky, 2019). Those who have lived there for

generations learned to depend on the predictability of their climate to survive, but without the

ability to farm, local economies and industries are changing. They are being forced to adapt and

are relying on the “strike it rich” mentality by hunting for thawed mammoth tusks fueled by the

Chinese demand for ivory (Mooney; Troianovsky, 2019). As the country becomes increasingly

polluted, more and more people are migrating into cities such as Yakutsk, which has seen a 20%

rise in population in the last decade (Mooney; Troianovsky, 2019). People who have lived there

for generations have no option to leave and try to make a life for themselves elsewhere, the very

ground they stand on is shifting.

When studying geography, we do not just take the physical geography into account, but

just as importantly, the cultural identity of a region. Something as simple as kumys, fermented

mare’s milk that is important to the Sakha, a Turkic people within Siberia, is in danger. Animals
are not able to thrive on the muddy earth, therefore the changing land is threatening Siberian’s

cultural identity. The already fragile ecosystem of Siberia, based on the taiga, is threatened by

the mining and smelting industries in Siberian cities (Saylor Academy). One of the biggest forces

behind climate change is the infrastructure of the region. The lack of law enforcement as well as

nuclear waste disposal within Russia, and Siberia’s historical use for nuclear testing have already

left the land scarred (Saylor Academy, 2012). Three degrees is all it takes to tip the scale.

Rebecca Sabnam, a Bangladeshi American teen, gave a speech in New York City at the

climate strike during the UN General Assembly in September. Her topic was how the effects of

climate change impact some of the most vulnerable communities around the globe, and

specifically the women of Bangladesh. Floods and cyclones have created a massive climate

induced migration which disproportionately affects women in the area. Water scarcity requires

that women travel farther to collect clean water, and this can have an impact on their

reproductive health. When coping with climate change challenges indigenous people have less of

a political voice and women “have to contend with patriarchal social norms” (Sadeque, 2019).

These vulnerabilities and Sabnam’s work are discussed in the article titled “Bangladeshi-

American Teen Activist Fighting for Climate Action.”

Bangladesh has an extremely small area, only 55,556 square miles, but has an estimated

population of 158 million. It is a very low-lying country, only 40 feet above sea level. Because of

its flat topography and place along the Bay of Bengal, floods have routinely devastated the area.

Monsoon rains that carry moisture to South Asia all the way to the Himalayan Mountains bring

up to six feet of rain. Floods have killed up to 150 thousand people at a time and left millions

more homeless. The devastation produced by cyclones and storm surges forces huge numbers of
people to migrate outward to other areas of Asia, seeking refuge from the damage left behind in

Bangladesh.

As the climate becomes unlivable and food becomes scarce it is desperation that fills the

stomachs of the people in the Sahara. Author of “Heat, Hunger, and War Force Africans onto a

‘Road on Fire’”, Somini Sengupta speaks to people living in the Sahara in order to find out how

their lives are changing because of global warming. Bad harvests follow bad harvests and not

enough food can be coaxed out of the unforgivable terrain. The rising climate is pushing people

to desperate measures as they make the dangerous, and often futile, journey out of the Sahara.

This year alone more than 311,000 people have migrated through Agadez to Libya or Algeria.

The economy in the Sahara is no longer based on agriculture, but instead on finding jobs

wherever they exist, no matter how far away or dangerous they are. The once reliable and

important rains no longer come, something that the entire year of farming depend upon

(Sengupta, 2019). The land and climate that generations have learned to predict can no longer

sustain life as it once did.

Past colonialism and the current refugee conflict are more related than one would think.

As European colonial powers split up Subsaharan Africa through the Berlin Conference, borders

were given to areas that previously flourished without them (Saylor Academy, 2012). Past

colonialism is one of the largest forces behind current conflict within Africa. People belonging in

certain tribes could cross freely between one another’s areas and the creation of arbitrary borders

instilled tension inside of Africa. Competition for water in Africa creates tension between

farmers and herders. An already unstable conflict is being made worse by climate change

pressure. The perception of Africa from places like the United States is influenced by the fact

that many Africans live differently from Americans. It is easy to disconnect ourselves from the
climate reality that is hurting Africa when it is so far away. Immigration and refugee policies will

have to account for climate refugees and more aid will be demanded from the United States. It is

very much about America, too.

In the New York Times article “Warming Waters, Moving Fish: How Climate Change Is

Reshaping Iceland” the effect of warming ocean waters on the economy is discussed. Fish is one

of Iceland’s top exports. In the last 20 years ocean waters in the region have risen close to three

degrees fahrenheit, causing some fish to seek out cooler waters (Pierre-louis; Heitmann, 2019).

The effects of climate change caused a rippling effect on Iceland’s environment, economy, and

global relations.

Because these fish have migrated into colder waters, fish that normally reside south of the

country have moved up in reaction to the changing temperatures. When fish cross political

boundaries a potential for conflict is created ((Pierre-louis; Heitmann, 2019). The global market

is a competitive one where less powerful forces may not be able to compete with the larger

entities like China and the United States, leading to the unification of smaller countries into the

European Union. Ultimately, conflict over fish is one of the major reasons that Iceland did not

join the EU. Unbelievably, a study found that since World War II a quarter of militarized

disputes between democracies have been over fish. Not only are migrating fish causing political

tensions but in areas where fish are a major food source people are migrating to follow the food

(Pierre-louis; Heitmann, 2019). The global implications are staggering.

In the lives of many Brazilian farmers and lawmakers, temporary success outweighs the

lasting damage that burning and logging the rainforest will have on climate change. Matt Sandy,

author of “‘The Amazon is Completely Lawless’: The Rainforest After Bolsonaro’s First Year”

explores the changes President Bolsonaro has had on the face of the Earth. The farmers and
loggers in the rainforest make the choice to expand their land in order to also expand their

incomes. To lawmakers such as President Bolsonaro turning to the rainforest helped take Brazil

out of the 2014 recession (Sandy, 2019). Many of Mr. Bolsonaro’s aims as President are to open

the rainforest industry and weaken law enforcement. This has opened the doors to ranchers and

loggers to satisfy the industry’s demands without being regulated. Under President Bolsonaro

deforestation rose up to 30% from the previous year undoing much of the conservation efforts

that have been in place through the last decade (Sandy, 2019). As agribusiness is one of the

largest contributors to Brazil’s economy serious consideration for alternative economic policies

will need to be made.

Without looking deeper into the issue of the dwindling rainforest, it is easy to blame the

ones who are doing the destroying: the farmers, ranchers, and loggers who are trying to earn a

living. However, this issue goes even further, all the way up to the lawmakers. Without

enforcement, there is little stopping those who are creating the fires and cutting down the trees.

“Deforestation and fires will never end,” President Bolsonaro said. “It’s cultural.” Beyond the

workers and lawmakers there is another force encouraging the deforestation of the rainforest:

global demand. Corporate colonialism, the presence of big corporations inside of Brazil’s

agricultural industry, is a way of exploiting the land for resources far away from home. Big

companies use Brazil’s natural resources without much of the profit ending up with the people

who live there (Saylor Academy, 2012). Deforestation affects the global economy, not just South

America’s. The Amazon is home to 50% of the world’s species, many of which are in danger

due to deforestation (Saylor Academy, 2012). Brazil’s law enforcement must follow the rest of

the world’s conversation to save the rainforest.

 The entire Earth is suffering from the effects of climate change. Each region’s specific

issues seemingly influencing another’s, creating a web of complications that lawmakers, citizens,

and animals alike are all struggling to navigate. Each of these articles provides a little more

insight into the spatial interrelationships that are directly affected by climate change. Declining

economic conditions and devastation in physical geography are joining forces to produce global

trends of migration among both people and animals. After taking a detailed look at the changes

taking place in various regions of our precious planet, one thing is clear: major adjustments are

in order if we plan to keep our planet healthy.

 Works Cited

Clarke, Y. D., & Shank, M. (2019, November 6). California fires, rising seas: Millions of climate
refugees will dwarf Dust Bowl by 2100. Retrieved from
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/11/04/california-fires-climate-change
millions-refugees-by-2100-column/2452937001/.

Mooney, Chris & Anton Troianovsky. “In Fast-Thawing Siberia, Radical Climate Change Is
Warping the Earth beneath the Feet of Millions.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4
Oct. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/climate
environment/climate-change-siberia/.

Pierre-louis, K., & Heitmann, N. (2019, November 29). Warming Waters, Moving Fish: How
Climate Change Is Reshaping Iceland. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/climate/climate-change-ocean-fish-iceland.html.

Sadeque, S. (2019, December 3). Bangladeshi-American teen activist fighting for climate action.
Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/bangladeshi-american-teen
activist-fighting-climate-action-191203041518638.html.

Sandy, Matt. “'The Amazon Is Completely Lawless': The Rainforest After Bolsonaro's First
Year.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2019,
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/world/americas/amazon-fires-bolsonaro
photos.html?auth=login-google&login=google.

Sengupta, Text Somini. “Heat, Hunger and War Force Africans Onto a 'Road on Fire'.” The New
York Times, The New York Times, 15 Dec. 2016,
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/15/world/africa/agadez-climate
change.html?mtrref=www.google.com&assetType=REGIWALL.

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