The humanitarian and infrastructure disaster that followed Texas’ winter storm illustrates that catastrophic weather events may soon become less freak occurrences and more part of an unremitting new normal. It should also remind us of how a new era in which extreme weather is normal will push — or force — some to migrate to new locations less impacted by this weather. As a report resulting from a partnership between ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, with support from the Pulitzer Center, found:“Across the United States, some 162 million people — nearly one in two — will most likely experience a decline in the quality of their environment, namely more heat and less water. For 93 million of them, the changes could be particularly severe, and by 2070, our analysis suggests, if carbon emissions rise at extreme levels, at least four million Americans could find themselves living at the fringe, in places decidedly outside the ideal niche for human life.”The United States alone — not to mention other areas around the world — is likely to see millions of climate migrants in the coming decades.

Source: New York Times February 22, 2021 00:21 UTC