Why there’s really no such thing as a ‘climate refugee’
When we use the impacts of climate change to explain migration, we only tell half the story—and obscure how power, race, and social inequalities are at play.
It is entirely reasonable to assume that as climate change intensifies, it will result in more human migration and displacement. Images of Bangladeshis seeking refuge from the latest cyclone or Californians fleeing suburban wildfires affirm a sense that climate change is driving the next great migration. And yet the great paradox of climate migration is that there is no such thing as a “climate migrant” or “climate refugee.”