Walls Won’t Work in a Warming World
A physical border can’t keep out millions of climate refugees. But what’s the alternative?
“For the poor, boundaries don’t really matter. When they have to survive, they will scale any boundaries. They’ll go over them, through them, or under them, because poverty does not recognize boundaries.” — Venkateswar Ramaswamy, Indian community activist supporting climate refugees from Bangladesh
Climate change — a threat multiplier
Immigration has always been a hot-button issue in America, and will only become hotter in a warming world.
The impacts of climate change are falling disproportionately on those in the Global South (i.e., Africa, Latin America, and regions of the Middle East and Asia) that fall under the umbrella of developing countries. Since they lack the resources and wealth of developed countries, they’re also ill-prepared for these impacts and generally are more vulnerable than those of us in developed countries that can better adapt to a changing climate.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of these impacts and their consequences in developing countries.
In 2001, a severe and prolonged drought in Afghanistan that resulted in no rain for over a year affected over one…
