Preparing for climate migration

Executive orders or not, people are going to have to move because of global heating. Where will they go? Some studies highlight our area, along with regions in the western plains states, parts of Appalachia, and areas in the northeast as potential "climate receivers." 

As environmental conditions worsen, the mass migration trend will accelerate. In the coming decades, the United States will be increasingly affected by sea level rise, hurricanes, extreme heat, wildfires and freshwater shortages, among other hazards. Millions of Americans will respond by moving. How to prepare for and respond to the challenges of climate change will be a primary governance question for the years to come.  

On January 22 at 9 a.m. Central, join Governance Studies at Brookings for a conversation on domestic climate migration in the United States. Experts will explore questions including: How are U.S. communities are vulnerable to climate change?  What steps are being taken at a federal, state and local level to prepare localities to adapt to climate risks and to welcome new residents displaced by climate disasters? Can preparations for the upheaval of climate change be structured to help address longstanding inequities of wealth, health and opportunity? 

Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at @BrookingsGov by using #USClimateMigration.