In his opening remarks to the security panel at the April 22 Leaders Summit on Climate, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated:
“Today, no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis. … Rising temperatures and more frequent and intense extreme weather events in Africa and Central America threaten millions with drought, hunger, and displacement. As families risk their lives in search of safety and security, mass migration leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and radicalization, all of which undermine stability.”
In El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, warming oceans are damaging coral reefs and fisheries, while severe drought is forcing farmers to abandon their land. To quote climate scientist Edwin Castellanos of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala: “Extreme poverty may be the primary reason people leave. But climate change is intensifying all the existing factors.”
Climate change is a human security issue. When people leave a place that global warming is rendering uninhabitable, moving is their adaptation. And desperate migrants are often demonized for this.
The United States stands at a crossroads. As the greatest cumulative emitter, what role will our nation play in helping to heal our increasingly hotter and inhospitable world?
