Welcome to Locally Sourced, a biweekly Covering Climate Now newsletter for journalists working to localize the climate story. Share this newsletter with colleagues and journalism students interested in localizing the climate story. Vea la versión en español de “Fuentes Locales.”
Story Spark: Climate Migration
Movement and settlement have been driven by environmental factors throughout most of human history. In this era, again, more habitable weather; better access to water; more food security; and a safer, stable landscape are just a few of the factors considered by those facing increasing climate impacts around the world who are being forced to ask, “Should I pack up and leave?”
It’s a difficult question, as many are reluctant to leave their homes due to ancestral connections, familiarity, and lack of viable options. As climate change fuels more frequent and intense disasters and makes livelihoods harder, displacement and migration is likely to increase, albeit in complex and nuanced ways. Despite narratives that argue the contrary, the majority of people forced to flee climate-related impacts move within their own countries. According to the World Bank, between 44 million and 216 million people are estimated to move internally within their countries as a result of climate change by 2050.
Climate change is not only fueling more frequent, intense extreme weather events, which cause both short- and long-term displacement, but it also acts as a “threat multiplier,” making other crises far worse. Hotter temperatures threaten agriculture and food security, exacerbating economic insecurity, and creating tensions that may lead to conflict, political instability, and, ultimately, displacement.
Coverage of climate migration should highlight the complexity of this evolving topic: exploring how communities are adapting to stay, planned relocation of those from the highest risk areas, and how cities are preparing for the large numbers expected to move towards urban areas.
Stories We Like
- “Leaving the Island,” a podcast series produced by Audiation, explores the lessons learned from the first-ever federal attempt to relocate an entire community — the mostly Indigenous residents of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana — because of climate change.
- The Marshall Islands, a small Pacific country made up of dozens of low-lying atolls, has been at the forefront of environmental devastation since facing nuclear fallout from US atomic testing decades ago. Grist reports how the island nation is trying to prevent a mass exodus from a new, growing threat: sea-level rise.
- In South Sudan, The Xylom examines how the nearly one in six people living with a disability in a country devastated by climate change–fueled flooding may struggle with being displaced.
- N-Más Focus’ investigation, which won a CCNow Journalism Award, details the enormous toll climate change is taking on Mexico, forcing entire communities to leave their homes because they can no longer guarantee their survival.
- Climate change is making crossing the US-Mexico border even more dangerous, Yale Climate Connections reports.
- In the wake of climate disasters including Hurricane Helene, the Guardian discredits the notion of “climate havens” and explores internal displacement trends within the US.
- In Senegal, where warming ocean water is destabilizing fishing communities, the Post and Courier highlights one fisherman pondering, “Should I go?”
Expert Tips
Kang-Chun Cheng (KC), 鄭康君, a Taiwanese American photojournalist based in Nairobi, Kenya, offers tips for reporting on climate migration. In addition to being the editor-at-large at The Xylom, the only AAPI science newsroom in the US, her work has appeared in Atmos, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and others.
Last year, I was in Malawi’s rural Nsanje District covering a story on the Global North’s responsibility toward communities whose homes are repeatedly washed away by cyclones occurring at an unprecedented frequency. Many of the mothers and fathers I spoke to were not considering moving away from their home district (“where would I go?”), despite what had become periodic and extremely destabilizing floods; their attachment to the land and place of belonging runs deep.
My reporting stems from a curiosity about self-perception and a sense of belonging, which I hope is reflected in the narrative quality of my stories.
Ask interviewees about the past, present, and future. There’s a lot of color that can come from descriptions about past lives, and potential aspirations. What do they miss about their former home? Do they wish to return, and how realistic is that?
What are the distances they have moved? Have folks been displaced from a nearby village, or have they traveled far distances? Have they been to this place before?
Report on the frequency of extreme weather events over recent years (or decades, depending on the interviewee’s age). I like to gather anecdotal information that may be substantiated with data later on.
Ask about assimilation. What is the range of opinions on whether or not people want to return to where they were (oftentimes ancestral/generational land)? Or considering the severity of the situation, has that dream been sealed off? I find it interesting to get a sense of whether climate refugees recognize this is part of a greater global trend, or see it as a more individualized experience.
Helpful Links
Resources
- Explore data, maps, and trends gathered on the Migration Data Portal to better navigate (often complex) international migration data.
- Dive into the World Bank’s comprehensive Groundswell report, which analyzes and projects future climate migration patterns.
- Examine US climate migration trends occurring at high flood risk areas across the country from research conducted by First Street.
- Find out how cities, especially in the Global South, will be at the forefront of climate-induced migration with recent research conducted by C40.
Experts
- Tina Shull, associate professor and historian, UNC Charlotte
- Fernado Riosmena, professor, The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Lawrence Huang, policy analyst, Migration Policy Institute
- Erica Bower, climate displacement researcher, Human Rights Watch
Before We Go…
The next Locally Sourced will highlight air transportation. Have you reported about greenhouse gas emissions from flying or highlighted how aviation is adapting to changes in our climate? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
The Climate Station is a free-of-cost training program from CCNow that equips local TV station newsrooms in the US, including journalists, producers, and meteorologists, to cover climate news more effectively. For inquiries, please email Elena González at elena[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. Or apply here.
Want more story ideas? Check out the Locally Sourced archive for more topics to explore, including heat pumps, cold snaps, climate anxiety, and more.
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