Driving Forces: How Climate Fuels Human Migration

From the first humans to venture out of Africa 60,000 years ago to the displaced refugees of today, migration has always been a part of human life. And in parts of the world where immediate threats include violence and poverty, climate change probably isn't a driving motivation to leave home.

But with erratic weather, extended droughts, and resource scarcity fueling political conflict and pressures on vulnerable rural livelihoods, it's impossible to leave climate out of the conversation. How is climate change fueling the mass movement of humans around the world, and what does that mean for national security and economies?

Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode.

Guests:

Paul Salopek, Journalist and National Geographic Fellow

Dina Ionesco, Head of the Migration, Environment and Climate Change (MECC) Division at the UN Migration Agency (IOM)

Francesco Femia, Co-Founder, The Center for Climate and Security

Oscar Chacon, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Alianza Americas

Lauren Markham, Author, The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life

Parts of this program were recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.

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