Homo Migratus
Something big is coming. If this is too much of an affirmation for you, sorry, but even the COP28 concluded last December that we need to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels to renewables, and they are not known for their risky decisions. Scientists around the world are growing weary of explaining the consequences of climate change and the need to reach net zero.
The earth's temperature rising is bringing desertification, barren lands, food scarcity, severe water shortages, desertification and high tides to name a few. Parts of the world are uninhabitable and more will become so in the coming years. What will humans living there do? They will follow the steps of our ancestors the homo sapiens and migrate to a better and safer place. The UN International Organization for Migration estimates that there will be 1 billion environmental migrants in the next 30 years. Many of these would-be migrants don’t want to leave their homes behind and they will start by adjusting their lives, maybe moving to another village, then to a bigger city and finally start the big move north to a foreign country.
Migration is part of our nature. Women (and men) have migrated over time for multiple reasons like to improve their situation, avoid a war, and thirst for adventure or love. However, the mass migration that has already started and will continue in the coming decades is a phenomenon we have never seen before. Suffering, hunger, or curiosity won’t be the reasons behind uprooted people from their homes. Humans migrating will be running away from extinction.
But not only the earth's temperature is rising. In times of uncertainty, extreme anti-migration policies gain popularity based on fear and the lack of will to tackle the true problems. “Migrants take our jobs”; developed countries are ageing quickly and we need the workforce and taxes from migrants to keep our systems going. “This is our land, not everyone can stay here”; because you were here before? It sounds like an argument during a primary school recess conflict.
Due to the pressure of global population growth, cities' infrastructures, which are already overwhelmed in many cases, suffer when migrants arrive. The lack of affordable housing, appropriate childcare and healthcare in general, the underground economy and stretched public services whose budgets are constantly being reduced, create an optimal breeding ground for crime and mafias. That’s why we need to stop procrastinating and start preparing ourselves. We can’t continue closing our borders under lock and key. By doing so, we are allowing staggering suffering to human beings and increasing the tension and conflicts in our countries and the world. Instead, we need to solve the root problems and stop putting all the burden on the immigrants. They are not the ones increasing the prices in the housing market due to the real estate speculation, they are not the ones collapsing hospitals and for sure they are not the ones that want to be exploited as modern slaves in the black economy.
But perhaps the most significant shift we need to prepare for is the fact that climate change doesn't respect borders; it won't halt at a passport checkpoint. Last summer, Spain and Italy experienced scorching temperatures, the Acropolis closed for the first time to avoid life-threatening situations due to extreme heat, and The Netherlands increases taxes to reinforce the dyke systems that keep the country afloat. We might not be on the front line for the moment like South East Asia and Africa, but we will be there if nothing changes.
At this point, we all know that recycling our waste and using paper straws fall short. Earth is desperate for structural measures such as a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, the adoption of circular economy models, and the recognition of ecocide. We need leaders equal to the task, ready to take measures to control the climate crisis and coordinate actions to minimise the effects that inevitability are to come. As established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of movement and the right to leave any country. The time is now to prepare cities to welcome anyone who’s seeking a better life.
Do you want more? You can read “Nomad Century: How To Survive The Climate Upheaval” by Gaia Vince
