Rising Tides: Climate Refugees in the Twenty-First Century (Encounters)

Global climate change and global refugee crises will soon become inextricably interlinked. A new tsunami of climate refugees flows across the earth. We are now at the moment of truth." Climate change is with us and we need to think about the next big disturbing idea – the potentially disastrous consequences of massive numbers of environmental refugees at large on the planet. In 2020 the United Nations projects that we will have 50 million environmental refugees mostly from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. How will people be relocated and settled? Is it possible to offer environmental refugees temporary or permanent asylum? Will these refugees have any collective rights in the new areas they inhabit? And lastly, who will pay the costs of all the affected countries during the process of resettlement? Environmental refugees are a problem beyond the scope of a single country or agency."John R. Wennersten and Denise Robbins, from the book “This urgent wakeup call to the growing crisis of climate refugees offers an essential, continent-by-continent look at its dangers and solutions, arguing that the crisis of climate refugees requires global, concerted solutions beyond the strategic, fiscal, and legal capability of a single country or agency.” “A must read for anyone who cares about the present and the future of civilization, and not just in the abstract.” — Eugene L. Meyer, journalist “Rising Tides deals masterfully with a neglected crisis, how climate change is driving migration. The discussion of the interrelationship between conflict-driven migration and climate-driven migration is fascinating. The crisis is upon us: Many of the Mediterranean displaced people are climate refugees, not conflict refugees. Some are both. The work is easily grasped by the general reader, and its source material is a gold mine for interested experts. Wennersten and Robbins don’t shy away from grim conclusions: The climate refugees aren’t going home, and the global community needs to accommodate them. The work broaches solutions both practical, like reforestation, and political, like the need for a new international charter for handling non-conflict refugees.” — Christopher E. Goldthwait, US Ambassador retired “A passionately argued, well-documented wake-up call on the dire, current and undeniable human fallout from climate change. Looking behind the headlines, it connects the dots in a way that will inform and should alarm us all.” — Eugene L. Meyer, author of Chesapeake Country “A must read for policymakers and those in positions of power, especially the ones who remain in a state of denial about climate change and refuse to do enough to address the crisis.” — The Hindu “This chilling and urgent call to action spares no detail in its mission to present the facts on a looming humanitarian disaster. Climate-change warning messages too often focus on the environment without going into specifics of how humans will be hurt by global warming. Rising Tides singlehandedly rectifies this issue. . . . Thanks to an equal reliance on current events and models, as well as the authors’ thorough understanding of geopolitics, the case is beyond convincing.” — Foreword Reviews "Deals masterfully with a neglected crisis, how climate change is driving migration . . . The work broaches solutions both practical . . . and political."--Christopher E. Goldthwait, former US Ambassador With global climate change upon us, it is imperative to start thinking about the massive numbers of people who will be displaced by environmental crises. The rise in sea levels alone will account for hundreds of millions of refugees around the globe. In Rising Tides , John R. Wennersten and Denise Robbins face the difficult questions that will have to be answered: How will people be relocated and settled? Is it possible to offer environmental refugees temporary or permanent asylum? Will these refugees have any collective rights in the new areas they inhabit? And lastly, who will pay the costs of all the affected countries during the process of resettlement? Offering an essential, continent-by-continent look at these dangers, Rising Tides is "a passionately argued, well-documented wake-up call on the dire, current and undeniable human fallout from climate change. Looking behind the headlines, it connects the dots in a way that will inform and should alarm us all" (Eugene L. Meyer, author of Five for Freedom ). "This chilling and urgent call to action spares no detail in its mission to present the facts on a looming humanitarian disaster. Climate-change warning messages too often focus on the environment without going into specifics of how humans will be hurt by global warming. Rising Tides singlehandedly rectifies this issue."-- Foreword Reviews "A must read for policymakers and those in positions of power, especially the ones who remain in a state of denial about climate change and refuse to do enough to address the crisis."-- The Hindu In The Coming Decades, Rising Sea Levels, Heavier Storms, And Drought And Desertification Will Force Hundreds Of Millions Of People From Their Homes -- And Even Their Countries. Where Will They Go? What Rights Will They Have? Who Will Take Care Of Them? Over 200 Million Asians Are At Risk. Picture Shrinking Coastlines In Pakistan, India, And China And Border Skirmishes Over Access To Shared Rivers And Farmable Land. Imagine Ocean Waves Forcing Tens Of Thousands Of Pacific And Indian Ocean Islanders And More Than 100,000 Caribbean Islanders To Flee. Picture The Abandonment Of Miami Beach And Costal Communities Up And Down The Americas. All This As Hundreds Of Millions Become Desperate For Water As Droughts Ravage Africa And The Middle East. Rising Tides Sounds An Alarm Over The Impending Climate Refugee Crisis And Offers A Continent-by-continent Look At The Dangers. John R. Wennersten And Denise Robbins Argue That Nations Must Take On The Problem Together -- It Will Take Solutions Beyond The Strategic, Fiscal, And Legal Capability Of A Single Country Or Agency. -- Seeking Shelter From The Storm -- Refugeedom -- What Happens When Your Country Drowns? -- The Crisis Hits Home : Climate Refugees In The United States -- Latin America : Land Of Rain, Land Of Thirst -- Africa : Environmental Conflicts In A War-torn Land -- Middle East : The Boiling Point Of Climate Change And National Security -- Asia : The Looming Crisis -- Current Affairs And Climate Refugees -- The Shape Of Things To Come. John R. Wennersten And Denise Robbins. Includes Bibliographical References. Global climate change is undeniable. Over the next few decades, as sea levels rise, storms intensify, and drought and desertification run rampant, hundreds of millions of civilians will abandon their homes, cities, and even entire countries. What will happen to these massive numbers of environmental refugees? Where will they go, what rights will they have, and who will take care of them? Over 200 million people in Asian countries live on land that will be affected by rising seas. Picture Pakistan, India, and China all nuclear powers skirmishing at their borders over access to shared rivers and farmable land with former coastal areas now submerged. Imagine tens of thousands of Pacific and Indian Ocean islanders cast adrift by waves that have drowned their nations, and more than 100,000 Caribbean islanders forced to leave submerged towns. Consider the complete abandonment of Miami Beach and other coastal communities up and down the Americas. At the same time, hundreds of millions will be desperate for water and a secure life in drought-ravaged Africa and the Middle East. Rising Tidessounds an urgent wakeup call to the growing crisis of climate refugees, and offers an essential, continent-by-continent look at these dangers. The crisis is everywhere and it is imminent. Detailing a number of solutions, John R. Wennersten and Denise Robbins argue that no nation can tackle this universal problem alone. The crisis of climate refugees requires global, concerted solutions beyond the strategic, fiscal, and legal capability of a single country or agency." "In the coming decades, rising sea levels, heavier storms, and drought and desertification will force hundreds of millions of people from their homes--and even their countries. Where will they go? What rights will they have? Who will take care of them? Over 200 million Asians are at risk. Picture shrinking coastlines in Pakistan, India, and China and border skirmishes over access to shared rivers and farmable land. Imagine ocean waves forcing tens of thousands of Pacific and Indian Ocean islanders and more than 100,000 Caribbean islanders to flee. Picture the abandonment of Miami Beach and costal communities up and down the Americas. All this as hundreds of millions become desperate for water as droughts ravage Africa and the Middle East. Rising Tides sounds an alarm over the impending climate refugee crisis and offers a continent-by-continent look at the dangers. John R. Wennersten and Denise Robbins argue that nations must take on the problem together--it will take solutions beyond the strategic, fiscal, and legal capability of a single country or agency"--Page 4 of cover