“Climate change and xenophobia are on a collision course. Forced migration is increasing around the world, with global warming playing an alarming role in new displacement patterns; last year, the number of displaced people surpassed eighty million, according to the U.N. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant sentiment is rising in the United States, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere; in the past few decades, governments in these places have increasingly criminalized migration and sought to block the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers. At the same time, scientists warn that climate change is causing the intensity of extreme-weather events—such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, and wildfires—to increase. The effects of natural disasters tend to be most devastating on those who are already disenfranchised.”

 

Hat tip to Afra Afsharipour.