This is not the blog I intended to write today.
But this issue is so compelling, daunting, and imminent that it has to be addressed and brought to light.
I was obliquely aware of this issue but not to the extent that it is explained in this piece, “The Century of Climate Migration: Why We Need to Plan for the Great Upheaval,” in The Guardian.
The article begins as follows:
“A great upheaval is coming.
Climate-driven movement of people is adding to a massive migration already under way to the world’s cities.
The number of migrants has doubled globally over the past decade, and the issue of what to do about rapidly increasing populations of displaced people will only become greater and more urgent.
To survive climate breakdown will require a planned and deliberate migration of a kind humanity has never before undertaken.
The world already sees twice as many days where temperatures exceed 50C than 30 years ago – this level of heat is deadly for humans, and also hugely problematic for buildings, roads and power stations. It makes an area unlivable.
This explosive planetary drama demands a dynamic human response.
We need to help people to move from danger and poverty to safety and comfort – to build a more resilient global society for everyone’s benefit.
Large populations will need to migrate, and not simply to the nearest city, but also across continents.
Those living in regions with more tolerable conditions, especially nations in northern latitudes, will need to accommodate millions of migrants while themselves adapting to the demands of the climate crisis.
We will need to create entirely new cities near the planet’s cooler poles, in land that is rapidly becoming ice-free.”