While the report focuses on climate migration overseas, it notes that some Americans are already moving because of the effects of climate change. The report states, “Even in the United States, an extreme event could result in permanent relocation of relatively high levels of low-income populations, exposed to chronic and worsening conditions over time. Come on. Huh.”
In February, Mr Biden signed an executive order directing the National Security Council to identify and protect people displaced by climate change, as well as provide them with options to save and resettle.
In response, the report released Thursday, which was to be done by August, recommends that the White House “work with Congress to forge a new legal path to individual humanitarian protection in the United States that will protect its lives.” reason to take it.” are facing serious threats from climate change.”
The report also called for establishing a group of staff across government agencies to coordinate US policy on climate migration.
Climate migration experts said the report could have gone further.
Tivrat Garg, a professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego, who specializes in climate migration, welcomed the administration’s attention to the issue. But he said the report could address the deep question of how the United States and other developed countries are indebted to climate migrants.
“Most of the carbon emissions driving climate change have come from rich countries, but the consequences are being disproportionately taken up by the poor,” Garg said. As a result, wealthy countries have “an obligation to support climate refugees”.
Others were more critical. Kaylee Ober, senior advocate and program manager for the Climate Displacement Program at Refugees International, called the report disappointing – more of a review of the challenges surrounding climate migration than a set of prescriptions for how to address it.
“This is a huge missed opportunity,” Ms Ober said. “I think the Biden administration hasn’t thought through what they want to do.”