Why the Rust Belt May Soon Become the Climate Migration Belt
“You can’t just declare yourself a climate refuge, you know. You’ve got to work and earn it.”
The Rust Belt has sadly lived up to its gloomy moniker. Globalization and other economic trends did a number on the so-called Rust Belt, a swath of the United States extending from New York to Minnesota that was once dominated by manufacturing.
The Rust Belt has suffered economically, and the associated decline has had demographic impacts. People have left the region in droves, searching for warmer weather and better economic opportunities.
These trends began about a half-century ago. Back then, no one could have imagined that a scientific trend — rather than an economic or political one — could reverse the decline of the Rust Belt.
A half-century ago, some people (particularly academics and fossil fuel industry experts) knew how bad climate change would get in the decades to come. But no one listened.
Many of those Rust Belt escapees moved to sunnier places like California or Florida. They congregated in big coastal cities that were poised for economic expansion rather than decline.
Well, in case you’ve missed it, you probably know those places aren’t well…
