We will all become climate refugees

I recently wrote “we need to model how to build sustainable communities not only for climate refugees coming to the Midwest, but also for ourselves. When water no longer flows through the pipes, sewer systems fail and there is no electricity, we will all become climate refugees.” Two difficult truths

Eventually, We Will All Be Climate Refugees by Dahr Jamail, TRUTHOUT, July 24, 2019, goes into great detail about the many environmental catastrophes that are increasingly resulting in climate refugees. Things have only gotten worse since that article was written.

Suffice it to say, all of us now, if we live long enough, are likely to become climate refugees at some point … whether it be from lack of food and water, rising seas, wildfires, smoke, or extreme weather events. For many, their time as climate refugees has already begun.

A survey of the last 30 days of scientific studies and extreme weather events shows us the driving force behind these displacements: the mounting climate crisis. An early July heatwave across Alaska found temperatures in the state literally rivaling those in Miami, Florida. Alaska saw its warmest June ever recorded, with the average temperature a stunning 5.3 degrees Fahrenheit (5.3°F) above the normal average for that month … for the entire state. That month was the 16th in a row when the average temperature in Alaska was above normal.

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Meanwhile, staple crops in the U.S. Midwest have been taking a beating from runaway climate disruption impacts, such as repeated floods during the spring and scorching hot and dry summers. Because of the dramatic and record-setting flooding this spring, many farmers weren’t able to plant crops at all. Expect food price spikes to come this fall and beyond.

Further complicating matters, another report showed how ecosystems across the Great Plains have shifted 365 miles to the north since just 1970.

“Climate apartheid” will push a stunning 120 million more people into poverty in barely over a decade.

Eventually, We Will All Be Climate Refugees by Dahr Jamail, TRUTHOUT, July 24, 2019

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Some Quaker resources

A Quaker Statement on Migration
This statement was developed by American Friends Service Committee, Britain Yearly Meeting, Friends Committee for National Legislation, Quaker Council for European Affairs, and Quaker United Nations Office. It draws on their Quaker foundations and work with migrants and on migration.

Friends Committee on National Legislation Immigrants and refugees

American Friends Service Committee Refugee Assistance Case Files
Consists of more than 20,000 case files created and maintained by staff and volunteers with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker relief and rescue organization.

Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN)
In the UK, the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network, (QARN) works to ensure that justice and compassion are the guiding principles in the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers