CLIMATE DISPLACEMENT IN THE NEWS
Climate change will be the third iteration of displacement inflicted on Indigenous communities by the United States, all of which threaten the enjoyment of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Climate change is driving displacement and increasing the vulnerability of those already forced to flee. Forcibly displaced and stateless people are on the front lines of the climate emergency. Many are living in climate “hotspots” where they typically lack the resources to adapt to an increasingly inhospitable environment. The dynamics of poverty, food insecurity, climate change, conflict and displacement are increasingly interconnected and mutually reinforcing, driving more and more people to search for safety and security.”
WFP Executive Director David Beasley has emphasized that the food crisis “is not because of war or conflict, this is because of climate change.” Madagascar’s global share of emissions is only 0.01%, yet the people there are currently experiencing some of the worst effects.
The Florida Keys sit at the frontlines of the climate crisis, where porous limestone meets rising seas. Plans to elevate the height of the roads and save homes won’t save everyone. Near Miami, last week’s tragic building collapse has some wondering whether climate change played a role? There, too, buildings sit on sinking limestone amidst rising seas. About a decade ago, gentrification also changed the Keys landscape, and now, like Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, climate gentrification has as well.
Aid alone has not shown to be a viable long term solution. Under the Obama administration, then VP Biden’s multi-million dollar economic development package intended to stimulate local growth and slow migration did the exact opposite, showcased by record migrant arrivals in 2019. That aid package proved what many experts have pointed to throughout the years: international aid does not always reach those most in need.
Moments of disaster and crisis often lay bare dramatic societal hierarchies. When disasters and climate-related catastrophes hit, reinforcing impacts of redlining, financial and other policies worsen inequities in the US and around the world — effectively maintaining hierarchies. For climate-impacted communities, the right to stay and the right to move is called into question when people lack the resources to survive. We can learn from disasters and climate-induced events that our policy choices and neoliberal systems perpetuate inequity.
