The Great Displacement
Book

The Great Displacement

Climate Change and the Next American Migration

Jake Bittle
Simon & Schuster, 2023
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

For many Americans, climate change is an immediate problem. As policy-makers and business leaders strive to curb future carbon emissions, thousands of Americans are fleeing from the effects of extreme weather. Offering the results of his extensive research, climate writer Jake Bittle chronicles the experiences of communities and individuals grappling with wildfires, rising oceans, and drought-stricken farmland. Bittle examines the market forces and public policies that led to development in risky areas, people’s efforts to rebuild after weather-related disasters, and residents’ agonizing decisions about whether to abandon vulnerable regions.

Summary

More Americans may soon flee areas vulnerable to climate-related disasters.  

Extreme weather events – including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and drought – and other consequences of climate change are hammering the United States with increasing frequency.

As the century progresses, millions will have to leave vulnerable locales, including coastal regions and areas facing threats from heat, natural disasters, and water shortages. How such an enormous migration will unfold depends on the intensity of climate-related conditions, as well as on evolving government policies and market pressures.

No one can prevent certain climate change consequences.

Many regions are seeking to reduce their carbon emissions. The European Union, for example, aims to cut emissions by more than half by 2030. China plans to reach net-zero emissions in a similar time frame. But even if the world restricts warming to an additional 1.50C above preindustrial levels, many consequences are already assured.

Sea levels will climb six feet or more. Warming ocean waters will drive increasingly severe storms. Extreme...

About the Author


Jake Bittle’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Harper’s Magazine. He is a contributing writer for Grist.

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