Visibility, Dialogue, Political Representation, Unity
HOW DO WE FIX IT?
Although there is no simple answer to this question, we believe a potential solution should involve:
Increased visibility of climate migrants and the communities impacted by climate change
A dialogue between those communities, consumers, and the industries and organizations that largely contribute to climate change or allow for these unsustainable practices to continue
Assurance of local and global political representation of environmental migrants and attainment of legal status
And unification of the global community in order to create effective change.
We also believe that individual consumers can create an impact in a variety of ways including making more sustainable decisions in their daily lives, joining advocacy groups, and holding unsustainable industries accountable.
STEP-BY- STEP SOLUTIONS
VISIBILITY
Many people are unaware of the severity of environmental migration –– many don't realize that this is happening at all. We believe visibility is an extremely important in step in helping the livelihoods of environmental migrants, because how can we make a difference when many people don't even know what's happening? We hope to increase visibility, along with empathy and solidarity, of environmental migrants and communities largely affected by climate change by sharing their stories, and by providing a platform for people to share their own stories about climate change if they have access. As mentioned, it is vulnerable, low-income communities that are affected most by climate change even though they only contribute to 3% of global emissions. These communities and individuals are oftentimes silenced or ignored because they do not have the means to have their voices heard. Check out our Stories section for more.
DIALOGUE
Once people are aware of the severity of the impacts that climate change has on these individuals and communities, we hope that others will be able to empathize with these people, hopefully extend solidarity towards them, and demand that their voices be heard. The unsustainable practices of more developed countries are primarily affecting the livelihoods of these vulnerable communities, so they should have a say in what changes need to take place. We hope by providing a platform for these individuals to share their stories, they will feel empowered to demand to be an interlocutor in the dialogue. Moreover, we hope that other interlocutors will be able to see them as equal actors whose opinions and ideas matter.
POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
One of the largest issues of environmental migration is that these migrants have no legal protections or political representation. Environmental migrants do not have refugee status, despite not having much of a choice about whether or not they wanted to leave their homes. When groups do not have refugee status, there is typically an automatic assumption that these people had a choice, and that they do not deserve legal protections because it is not an "emergency." When migrants are not legally protected, or do not have legal status, it is nearly impossible for them to have any political representation due to fears of deportation, or because they are primarily focusing on meeting their basic needs. We hope that increased visibility and dialogue will liken the chance for environmental migrants to gain legal protections and more political representation. In order for government officials and other people in power to advocate for or implement any legal protections or political representation, they must first be aware of the severity of the problem. Help us do so by sending a message to government officials!
UNITY
We hope by sharing the stories of environmental migrants that people will empathize with them, extend solidarity towards them, understand that we are all members of one global community, and create the collective will to change. You can urge government officials to make policy changes that are inclusive of the needs of environmental migrants. However, there are also individual changes you can make in your personal lives that may subsequently impact the livelihoods of environmental migrants. Of course, the main cause of environmental migration is climate change. Learn more about how to become more sustainable and help the environment in our Make a Change section!
Put pressure on our government and make sure environmental migrants have a say in how the unsustainable actions and decisions of the U.S. affect their lives.