Climate change is not only about the planet, it is about people. The changing world we live in challenges how we should live our lives day to day alongside changing the locations where we are able to do so. Climate refugees give a face to the issue of climate change. This is not is not only about where people will move to, but it challenges the idea of living in a state-centric system. When people are displaced, the whole international system is turned upside-down. The current system is inadequately prepared to deal with climate refugees. As Navy Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn states, “addressing the changes in the Earth’s climate is not simply about saving polar bears and preserving the beauty of mountain glaciers. Climate change is a threat to our national security”. The world today is forcing people to compete over limited natural resources and one of those resources happens to be the land itself. The only way to deal with the issue of climate refugees is by preventing it from occurring. If we do not begin to discuss this issue then a serious question remains: can we reverse the changing climate before it comes at the cost of displacing 150 million people around the world?

Outline:
- Introduction
- Brief Background on Climate Change
- Environmental Disasters
- Confluence of issues: adding in overpopulation and food insecurity
- Pacific Islands
- Moving closer to home: Alaska/New Orleans
- Challenging sovereignty/legal implications
- Looking to the Future

Interview Questions

(1.) How did you first become interested in the issue of climate refugees or climate migration patterns more generally?

(2.) Do you think that we should be mitigating the problem of climate change or should we be focusing on more narrowly on resettlement of people?

(3.) If climate change continues at this rate what are some potential implications for these at risk people or at risk homes?

(4.) How are climate refugees dealt with legally?

(5.) To follow up, how is asylum granted?

(6.) In your opinion what’s the best way to rectify this situation?

(7.) Do you think that some countries are more prepared than others to deal with an influx of people than others?

(8.) What does migration mean for labor in the United States? Or in other country’s that will be impacted?

(9.) Is climate change considered an acceptable legal reason or rationale for leaving a country? Or are there other factors that need to be considered?

(10.) Can you think of anyone else that I should speak with about climate refugees? Or any information I should look into regarding this topic?

Big Questions

(1) Where are the biggest areas climate refugees with be coming from in the Pacific Islands?
(2) Where will these climate refugees seek asylum?
(3) What will the impact of the influx in population have on these countries?
(4) What are the risks associated with worsened climate change on immigration in this region?

(5) How do we handle climate refugees legally? Do they fit the status of a refugee accroding to international guidelines?