How the Climate Crisis Will Force A Massive American Migration

The climate crisis will profoundly interrupt the way we live and farm in the United States. Extreme heat, massive floods and more fires may force millions of people to move — and millions may be left behind.

[Turk_]

The proverb goes as such — “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realise that one cannot eat money, ” and that has never felt more relevant than it does today.

[parasocial_police]

Year 2050 Bumper sticker: Don't Texas my Michigan

[jeffreyhill]

Two unrelated points you have missed. There was a massive migration to the south because of the invention of air conditioning. There has also been a migration to flood and hurricane prone areas due to the federal flood insurance program. For decades insurance rates to not reflect the actual risk of living in these areas due to the federal insurance program taking this risk from the property owners. The result has been to build in areas that will be damaged by weather. These costs are not driven up by climate change, but by the existence of the federal flood insurance program.

[Rnankn]

As a Canadian, I say this in the friendliest and most neighbourly way possible: There’s always Alaska. :)

[mumi]

"We have met the enemy, and he is us!" - Pogo

[TSZatoichi]

When southerners start migrating to the north in ever growing numbers, do we get to call them climate refugees?

[jasonok]

I think its time we let the Southern states secede like they've always wanted

[patbrennan]

This is what happens when we continue to put our fate in the hands of fools.

[mariguana]

I like how the people who don’t believe in climate change will be the most dramatically affected by it.

[honestlynate]

We literally moved out of Lauderdale county Mississippi to move up north because there was no money there was no future for our children and it was way too freaking hot to put up with that nonsense

[marcingolab]

You can move, but when vast swathes of land that have hitherto been used for agricultural production can no longer support crops (or, for hardier GMOs, the working conditions in the fields are impossible for humans), food insecurity will move right along with you. Don't get fooled into thinking that all you can do is adapt or die. Demand change via organized movements to put pressure on the elites and minimize the damage. Alone (the individual, atomized consumer) you are powerless, yet there's a lot to fight for that you may not even realize.

[AntonsClass]

I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. It is getting ridiculously hot. Right now I'm blessed to be enjoying the cool winter in Namibia, but I am concerned that Maricopa county back home in Arizona will eventually be too hot.

[aa-tows]

We are destroying the entire Earth so those with extreme greed can die in a fancy bunker.
Amazing.

[ocsrc]

California 2040 it won't matter because there will be NO WATER

[mikelittle]

Expertly done. A warming arctic means a weakening jetstream. This is why air masses of all types are staying in source regions longer and becoming more intense. For instance our thunderstorms and tropical storms are feed by warmer air and more moisture, becoming more intense and frequent. AG1

[MikMoen]

Even the Seattle region in Washington is having drier, hotter Summers with wildfires every season. I'm 29 now, I cannot remember ever hearing about local fires or experiencing smoke haze as a kid. That's what all the head in the sand people aren't realizing. Everything happening now is not normal. This just wasn't happening 15 years ago. Now it's every year, worse than the last. No rain, reservoirs drying, fires burning out of control, heat waves, choking smog. Not even the northern states are safe from this.

[tedebayer]

I was once a climate change skeptic, after a number of years of honest information review, I now feel that your scenarios are quite optimistic. First reason is, were not really doing a thing about it... no one wants to give up their lifestyle, until its too late

[patrickwentz]

Pittsburgh is coming back baby! Glad I live in Pennsylvania. Nothing really ever changes here.

[thalesnemo]

Humanity is being hoisted by its own petards!

[mcqueen]

Milwaukee, Detroit and Buffalo will enjoy a renaissance? That's one way of describing an influx of climate refugees overwhelming your cities.