Forced Migration is the New Face of Climate Change

In the wake of the United Nations IPCC report, many have been left with these feelings of fear, dismay, and rage at the prospect of having just 10 years to drastically reduce our global emissions and narrowly avoid the worst case scenario of climate change.

A Migratory shepherd family during their journey near Ausa, Latur district Maharashtra. Climate change is impacting the lives of millions of people around the world, forcing communities to break apart while creating a global refugee crisis.

Having nowhere to call “home” can be one of the scariest moments in a person’s life. Whether that’s at the hands of chronic unemployment or a climate change induced disaster, your life changes forever. When disaster strikes, it is in that moment of terrible reality you’re faced with the throat wrenching question: what do I do?

The looming threat of unchecked pollution and the continued inaction of corporations to show leadership in helping to stave off the destructive impacts of climate change stir up these emotions across demographics, identities, and political party lines. These feelings pale in comparison to the grave realities of how climate change is impacting the lives of those most vulnerable — and the Central American refugees are among those most vulnerable.

The refugees that have been traveling from Central America in pursuit of safety and freedom from violence have been a source of public debate since their story first surfaced in the public sphere on October 12th. What began as approximately 160 people fleeing San Pedro Sula, Honduras, grew into a movement of people seeking safety in the U.S. and Mexico. Their reasoning for seeking asylum ranges from political instability and unemployment to repression and impending violence — but one thread that connects many of these narratives that has not received much attention is a decreasing viability of land due to climate change induced droughts.

Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, the countries that make up the majority of asylum seekers, are at the heart of the “Dry Corridor” where communities have experienced ongoing droughts that have devastated their agricultural production and roused the need to migrate. These drought-prone areas have only gotten worse as a result of the changing climate. Guatemala, in particular, being listed as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.