The Next Great Migration: An Analysis of the Nature of Climate Migrants
In this essay, I expand on Sonia Shah’s message in her book, The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life On The Move, of both human and nonhuman migration being a part of natural history, and thus something not to be feared as human migration will become more frequent and momentous as a result of climate change. I propose that the sharing of this perspective would be beneficial and even vital to re-imagining discussions around climate migrants and immigration policy, especially in the U.S. This was an interesting piece for me to write because I am deeply interested in the environmental justice dimensions within climate-related migration, and the importance of including various perspectives when structuring policies around accommodating climate refugees and migrants. As I continue to learn about and follow the stories of climate migrants globally, I hope to see sentiments similar to Shah’s included in policy discussions.
May 14, 2021
