What is climate change? The global warming we see now is due to heat-trapping gasses produced by burning fossil fuels. Burning coal, oil, and natural gas releases these gasses into the atmosphere, and they build up over time.
This heats up the atmosphere and causes climate change. Some of these gasses last a long time in the atmosphere, meaning that warming may occur for decades or centuries. Over the next few decades, climate change threatens to increase the likelihood and severity of extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods. This may disrupt the lives of many people all over the world, especially those in third-world countries.
The sad fate of climate change refugees
In fact, according to a new Biden administration report, “tens of millions” of people are “expected to be displaced over the next two to three decades” as a consequence of elevated global temperatures.
The document, titled “Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration,” was commissioned by President Biden earlier this year. It was released on October 20 to help the United States prepare for what experts predict will be an increase in migration as a result of climate change.
The political effects of climate change
Climate change is likely to intensify geopolitical tensions, especially in poorer countries, according to a separate national intelligence estimate released on October 21. This will “exacerbate the dangers to US national security interests,” according to the administration.
Colombia, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Iraq, Honduras, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Pakistan were recognized as being at high risk of climate disruption, which could lead to a flood of migration, as per the projection.
Climate change and its repercussions, according to Vice President Kamala Harris, are one of the numerous primary causes of rising migration from Central America to the United States.
The Biden administration is, at present, grappling with a rush of migrants crossing the southern border. A Trump-era provision known as Title 42, however, allows asylum seekers to be deported because they pose a public health concern during the coronavirus pandemic.
The repercussions of climate change are already occurring, as seen by the increasing number of extreme weather disasters over the last few years. Weather-related disasters displaced an average of 21.5 million people globally between 2008 and 2016, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees statistics.
In a call about the new research on October 20, a senior Biden administration official stated, “No country will be spared the challenges directly tied to climate change.”