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This is a class project for ENGL4120 at Western Michigan University
By: Shane Stadler
Overview
The United Nations Committee on Climate Migration highlights the importance of creating policies for climate migration. Explaining the history of migration and world climate as well as the present and the future for the aforementioned topics. The goal of this Committee is to emphasize the importance of modernized immigration policies that includes and protects climate migrants and refugees. As the United Nations we must ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect when seeking asylum or seeking to immigrate to other countries. For this world and all the people in it to survive, it is imperative that we all work together to make the world a welcoming place for all.
Climate Change
Climate Change
Climate change is one of the biggest crises of our time period. Threatening life as we know it on earth, climate change is going to quickly change many things on our planet and have lasting effects on where we can live on earth.
Over the last several decades, global temperatures have been rising at the highest rates in recent human history. According to NOAA's 2021 Annual Climate Report the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.14 degrees Fahrenheit (0.08 degrees Celsius) per decade since 1880; however, the average rate of increase since 1981 has been more than twice as fast: 0.32 °F (0.18 °C) per decade. This increase in temperature is due to the amount of carbon emissions humans put into the earth’s atmosphere. By blanketing the earth in carbon dioxide through the two major contributors, greenhouse gasses (industrial farming) and burning fossil fuels (i.e., coal, gas, and oil) we are trapping the sun's heat and heating our planet. Seeing as how the ten hottest years in historical records have been recorded since 2010, it is imperative that we act now and act fast. To mitigate the effects of climate change and to prepare for what is to come when the earth gets too hot.
As well as global temperatures rising, climate change has and will continue to increase the rates of natural disasters. Such as hurricanes, floods, extreme heat, and rising global sea levels. It is these effects of climate change that will make certain parts of the world inhabitable. These weather events becoming more frequent means the inability to farm in areas that are affected and therefore not being able to support human life in those areas. As well as people's lives and homes being at risk of flooding or being torn apart by a natural disaster on a daily basis. Meaning, climate migration is going to be a prevalent issue in the next 25-100 years. There will be an increase in climate refugees globally and these people will need somewhere to seek asylum. Overall, climate change is a great force that will change what places are habitable on earth. Making many places where millions of people live inhabitable and forcing us to change how we produce and use energy.
Migration
Migration
Throughout humans' history, humans have been roaming this earth searching for new undiscovered land and new places to call home. Although, in recent history there has been an exclusionary aspect of calling somewhere home. Discovering new land on earth quickly turned into a way to have power and to have an advantage over others. Making land a commodity that not all could have, and that not all were welcome once it was discovered. The majority of wars on earth have been over the possession of land and protecting those living on that land. However, today when others are desperate for a place to call home, we don’t allow everyone to cross into our countries and we aren’t open to helping others around the world. Leaving millions of refugees in refugee camps, separated from the people and the places that they love. In 2019, there were 26 million refugees displaced from their home countries. With the rising rates in global temperature, and rising rates of natural disasters, there will be more people displaced due to climate change. The map above shows the areas of the earth that will be habitable in a world that has a global temperature of 4 degrees hotter. With the rate of carbon dioxide emissions not slowing down, this temperature is expected to be reached within this century. When it is, the people living in those inhabitable areas of the world will be displaced from their homes and labeled as climate refugees. As the United Nations, we must put the legislature into motion now, so that when climate change comes to a head, these climate refugees have somewhere to go.
Benefits to modernizing migration policies
Limiting the number of people, we let into our countries does not only hurt the refugees, who are left homeless and often separated from family, it also hurts our own economy. Globally, 68% of governments reported that their main motive for having immigration policies was to meet labor demands. Meaning that over half of all countries in the world see migrants and refugees as useful tools to boost their national economy. Migrants offer great opportunities for countries to employ them and get tough jobs done. With rising rates of immigrants and refugees, it is important to not only accept refugees but to welcome them. There is a way to welcome refugees into our home countries without it being a burden on our economies. By implementing programs where refugees have somewhere to live, work, learn the national language, and somewhere to start fresh. Where they don’t have to be separated from their families because their families are allowed to come with them.
There are also policies that can be put in place to ensure that immigrants are paying taxes and abiding by laws in the appropriate manner for the country that they are in. They could have rules for their work visas where if they break specific laws they will have to go back or be on probationary status. Also, there could be rules for their children to be in school or attending higher education. Maybe, to meet labor demands, secondary school children could have assigned professions. The possibilities are endless, and policies like these ensure that refugees will have homes and that countries who are taking in refugees will reap the benefits of having more people living in their country.
Permanent Climate Migration
Oftentimes, when immigrants seek asylum in a country or move to another country, they are doing so with the intentions to return to their home country once conditions improve. However, in the case of climate migration that will not be possible. When changes in the climate affect whole regions of the world, it will take a very long time for that part of the world to recover. Leaving climate migrants or climate refugees with nowhere to go for a very long time. If we start to write legislation now on how to organize the migration of climate refugees, we will know where people can go once this starts to take effect. In today’s climate, if a hurricane hits a country, people will be displaced until they can rebuild their communities. However, if climate change continues the path it’s on, it will leave entire regions of the world inhabitable. In the year 2050, it is estimated that there will be anywhere from 25 million to 1 billion climate refugees. With that many refugees, there is no way we will be able to support them without the proper infrastructure being built first. There needs to be large projects for buildings, towns, and neighborhoods where climate refugees will be able to live before the year 2050 to mitigate the effects of this large migration. As well as communities and organizations ready to help climate refugees in their transition to a new part of the world.
In addition to infrastructure, there needs to be an international effort to take immigrants into every habitable region of the world. So many people will be displaced due to changes in the climate that no one country will be able to take all the refugees or even half of the refugees. Meaning that we need to start working together and weaving this issue into our conversations and diplomatic meetings. Large countries that will be hospitable will need to take more refugees and smaller countries can take smaller amounts. As well as deciding what will be done with the modern cities that will be inhabitable by the year 2050 and how we will respond to people in our own developed countries becoming displaced by climate change. This can be done by building new big cities in regions of the world that we know will be habitable. While building these new cities, thinking about the amount of people who will need to live there and accounting for all people in the world. Using our resources to work together and build cities which will accommodate everyone is the only way everyone will survive the climate crisis.
Closing statement
The Unite Nations Committee on Climate Migration was created to help the world mitigate and navigate the worlds changing climate in relation to human migration. Using facts from the history and present of the world, we are able to better predict the future and have the opportunity to build a better future that includes everyone. Climate change is a worldwide crisis that will affect everyone living on this planet. By making large regions of the world inhabitable, by forcing us to find new sources of energy, and by having to invent new ways of farming to sustain life on earth. The only way everyone on earth will be able to live through this climate change is if we work together now to prepare for the upcoming crises related to migration. By building new cities, welcoming climate refugees into our countries, and through innovation we will not only survive climate change we will build a more enriched global community for all.
Work Cited
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/migration
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
https://www.g20-insights.org/policy_briefs/building-global-governance-climate-refugees/
Nomad Century- Gaia Vince
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