Public Policy

This article was written by my Mom, Dr. Nancy Scheper-Hughes and her close colleague of over 30 years, Dr. Macelo Suarez-Orozco, Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSE&IS). I am posting this because of my interest in how climate change affects border security, food security, and emergency preparedness in the U.S., particularly the border states. “The effects of climate change go way beyond pure meteorological changes and have consequences for social and political processes worldwide,” says Jesus Crespo Cuaresma of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and a professor of economics at Vienna University of Economics and Business. “Acknowledging this evidence could take us closer to finding global solutions to the problem.” And the Migration Policy Institute states the following: “The impact of climate change as a driver of human migration is expected by many to dwarf all others. Still, certain frequently repeated forecasts of the number of people who stand to be displaced by climate change are not informed by a complete understanding of migration dynamics. Displacement is almost always the result of a complex mix of factors: a combination of exposure to natural hazards, poverty-related vulnerability, and resilience (through adaptation) determine which regions and societies are most like to suffer negative effects of climate change.

Beyond these “push” factors, family and community networks, historical ties, proximity, and ease of access all help determine where people go if they move. The most significant mechanisms of displacement are sea-level rise, higher temperatures, disruption of water cycles, and increasing severity of storms.”