The report: You must prepare for millions of climate refugees

Published: December 08, 2020 at 09.27

From: Emma Lovén Svensson

Published: December 08, 2020 at 09.27

WASHINGTON. Millions of Americans may have to leave their homes due to climate change in the future, according to a report earlier this year.

The researchers behind the conclusion believe that preparations for a comprehensive climate migration within the country are not in place at present and are now putting pressure on Congress.

– We are not prepared for a movement of people on such a large scale as the one that climate change will require in the future, says Alfredo Gómez.

Millions of Americans currently live in places that in the future may be so affected by climate change that they will become uninhabitable, according to a report from the US State Audit Office earlier this year. These are mainly the coastal areas of the country and the areas around rivers where rising water levels and erosion threaten buildings. But also the recurring wildfires in the western United States and the increasing number of storms and hurricanes in the eastern United States are considered serious threats.

Photo: Emma Lovén Svensson

House on Isle de Jean Charles.

Alfredo Gómez is the head of the National Audit of Nature and the Environment, the organization behind the report, and he believes that the preparations to serve the country’s environmental refugees are too poor at present and he is now putting pressure on politicians.

– We want Congress to produce a pilot program for climate refugees at the national level. At this time, there is no unifying group or organization for the movement of the millions of Americans who will be affected.

According to Gómez, nowadays there is not enough knowledge in politics to be able to make informed decisions and the cooperation between the authorities is not currently tight enough. You would like to see a whole new group that only focuses on the issue of climate refugees.

– The important thing is that it is clear who is responsible when the problem grows, that someone or someone is completely responsible, he says.

The first climate refugees are on the way

There are already places in the country where it is clear that residents will need to leave their homes for safer land. One of the sites is the Alaska community of Newtok, where erosion has long threatened settlements and has already washed several houses into the water, forcing residents to relocate. The island of Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana has lost 98% of its land mass since 1955 and will need to be evacuated by 2022. According to Gomez, this is just the beginning.

– There will be many more who need to move, we are talking about millions of Americans.

Gómez highlights that working with relocations is complex and involves many challenges at different stages. First of all, it is important to bring with them those who need to leave their homes, who have often lived there for generations.

– Some groups hesitate to move. Many people think that they can adapt in the moment, but in the end it will not work. So it’s important that we first get people involved at the local level and then get support from both the states and the federal level.

You will have to address the problem sooner or later

United States: President Donald Trump called global warming a scam and many in his party share that opinion, or do not see the climate as a priority issue.

But Alfredo Gómez believes that the government and Congress will inevitably have to address the issue in the future anyway.

– When the economic consequences slowly but surely increase, more people seem to understand that what has caused climate change is already happening across the country.

Published: December 08, 2020 at 09.27

READ ON

Published: December 08, 2020 at 09.27