Climate Refugees

 

Climate Refugees

Whether you feel that the California Fires are the result of Environmental balance run amok, or just a portend of what’s to come later, it raises a serious question:  What is the responsibility of our society to these refugees (Climate refugees and non-Climate refugees).

Tens of thousands are leaving their homes.  Tens of thousands are not working their normal income-producing jobs and it will be weeks/months/years before they be gainfully employed at their level prior to the disaster.  These are people who have lost their jobs, lost their houses, lost their pets, lost their friends, lost their roots, lost their schools, and lost their possessions.  How long of a journey is it going to take each of these people to rebound before they wind up where they were before the disaster?  Resiliency is long-term. 

What is the responsibility of the government to help these internal refugees to bounce back.

Internal refugees/Environmental refugees is also happening in Alaska (the Aleutian Islands) where entire villages have been forced to relocate to other parts of Alaska as “internal refugees”. 

And more and more Climate refugees can be expected shortly in areas like the South Sea Islands.  This is a problem that will only get bigger and bigger and will bust open if it is not addressed in a transparent mode.

How much empathy can we expect from Trump on this issue?