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The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration
“The Great Displacement is closely observed, compassionate, and far-sighted.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Under a White Sky
The untold story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities being torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future.
Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense—we imagine that as global warming gets worse over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world fleeing famine and rising seas. What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States. In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.
A human-centered narrative with national scope, The Great Displacement is “a vivid tour of the new human geography just coming into view” (David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth). From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving. In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters. Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas.
Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history. The Great Displacement compassionately tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives—erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.
The untold story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities being torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future.
Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense—we imagine that as global warming gets worse over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world fleeing famine and rising seas. What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States. In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.
A human-centered narrative with national scope, The Great Displacement is “a vivid tour of the new human geography just coming into view” (David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth). From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving. In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters. Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas.
Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history. The Great Displacement compassionately tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives—erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2023
476 people are currently reading
15872 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
November 27, 2021
I wrote this book
September 29, 2023
This morning I handed a cashier a $20 bill. She placed it in the register, licked her index finger, and counted out my change.
Germaphobe that I am, I almost said to keep it. Then I figured, she's the one who got the short end of the straw.
Who knows where that 20 has been? It's entirely possible it spent some time hanging out in a stripper's ass before ending up in my wallet.
What, you might ask, does this have to do with a book about climate change?
Well, I wanted to show an example of forced migration. The bacteria living in Tawny's ass crack didn't ask to move, as far as I know. They were probably perfectly content in their nice warm abode.
But then she went to work that night, spent some time warming up a pole, after which she warmed up the lap of a businessman whose pockets were bursting with twenties.
He slid aside a silky red string, and tucked one of those 20s right up in Bacteria Bill's home. Bacteria Bill, his wife Betty, and their children Bob and Bonita slid right onto that paper.
Later, Tawny put it in her wallet, got dressed, and headed home. There she pulled out some 20s to pay the babysitter, and Bill and Betty left not just their country but also their continent behind.
The babysitter, a student at the local university, needed to pull an all-nighter to cram for a test. Not caring that her nose might eventually fall off, she decided to snort a little coke. I don't have to tell you which bill she pulled out, rolled up, and stuck in her nose, sucking Bonita right up inside.
She also added some fauna of her own, not realizing that ass bacteria and nose bacteria are completely different species and probably don't even speak the same language. Nate and Ned the Newlyweds found themselves marooned on an island with neighbors they couldn't understand, much less like. Plus, they smelled funny.
Over the weekend, the babysitter stopped at the local farmer's market. She paid for some pumpkins with the bill that now housed Bill and Betty and Bob but not Bonita, and Nate and Ned the Newlyweds.
A young Amish girl took this bill which she later handed to me when I paid for some corn on the cob and apple butter. (I ❤️ autumn.).
This morning I went to the pharmacy, handed over that twenty, and all that bacteria had to move again, now into the gut of a sweet and friendly, grey-haired, finger-licking lady.
Bill and Betty and Bob will in the very near future find themselves deposited in a cosy new home similar to the one they were recently forced out of. Nate and Ned probably won't fare so well, as many climate migrants won't.
And that's where the fun ends and reality sinks in and you can thank me for giving you something fun to think about instead of writing a depressing review about how people are already being forced from their homes due to the effects of climate change.
It's not fun to read, but it's important. I had expected something different than what this book is - a history of several places no longer fit or soon to be unfit for humans to live in, and the personal stories of many people this aspect of climate change has already affected, people who have lost their homes to extreme weather and were forced to either rebuild or move.
The author focuses on how migration will occur within the United States, though of course people throughout the entire world will be forced from their homes as the oceans rise, rain refuses to fall in some areas, and more extreme weather events make parts of the world uninhabitable.
Regular readers of my reviews might recall that human interest stories in science-themed books are not my thing. I read novels for that. I was hoping for a book about climate migration specifics, facts, and numbers and was often bored with this book.
I still give it 4 stars because it's written very well, and because I think the majority of readers will appreciate the individual stories. It makes climate change more real, to be able to put a face to people it has affected and is affecting.
I think it's a great way to get readers interested in the climate crisis and if human interest stories appeal to you, I recommend this book.
I do not, however, recommend licking your fingers after touching money. Just don't.
Germaphobe that I am, I almost said to keep it. Then I figured, she's the one who got the short end of the straw.
Who knows where that 20 has been? It's entirely possible it spent some time hanging out in a stripper's ass before ending up in my wallet.
What, you might ask, does this have to do with a book about climate change?
Well, I wanted to show an example of forced migration. The bacteria living in Tawny's ass crack didn't ask to move, as far as I know. They were probably perfectly content in their nice warm abode.
But then she went to work that night, spent some time warming up a pole, after which she warmed up the lap of a businessman whose pockets were bursting with twenties.
He slid aside a silky red string, and tucked one of those 20s right up in Bacteria Bill's home. Bacteria Bill, his wife Betty, and their children Bob and Bonita slid right onto that paper.
Later, Tawny put it in her wallet, got dressed, and headed home. There she pulled out some 20s to pay the babysitter, and Bill and Betty left not just their country but also their continent behind.
The babysitter, a student at the local university, needed to pull an all-nighter to cram for a test. Not caring that her nose might eventually fall off, she decided to snort a little coke. I don't have to tell you which bill she pulled out, rolled up, and stuck in her nose, sucking Bonita right up inside.
She also added some fauna of her own, not realizing that ass bacteria and nose bacteria are completely different species and probably don't even speak the same language. Nate and Ned the Newlyweds found themselves marooned on an island with neighbors they couldn't understand, much less like. Plus, they smelled funny.
Over the weekend, the babysitter stopped at the local farmer's market. She paid for some pumpkins with the bill that now housed Bill and Betty and Bob but not Bonita, and Nate and Ned the Newlyweds.
A young Amish girl took this bill which she later handed to me when I paid for some corn on the cob and apple butter. (I ❤️ autumn.).
This morning I went to the pharmacy, handed over that twenty, and all that bacteria had to move again, now into the gut of a sweet and friendly, grey-haired, finger-licking lady.
Bill and Betty and Bob will in the very near future find themselves deposited in a cosy new home similar to the one they were recently forced out of. Nate and Ned probably won't fare so well, as many climate migrants won't.
And that's where the fun ends and reality sinks in and you can thank me for giving you something fun to think about instead of writing a depressing review about how people are already being forced from their homes due to the effects of climate change.
It's not fun to read, but it's important. I had expected something different than what this book is - a history of several places no longer fit or soon to be unfit for humans to live in, and the personal stories of many people this aspect of climate change has already affected, people who have lost their homes to extreme weather and were forced to either rebuild or move.
The author focuses on how migration will occur within the United States, though of course people throughout the entire world will be forced from their homes as the oceans rise, rain refuses to fall in some areas, and more extreme weather events make parts of the world uninhabitable.
Regular readers of my reviews might recall that human interest stories in science-themed books are not my thing. I read novels for that. I was hoping for a book about climate migration specifics, facts, and numbers and was often bored with this book.
I still give it 4 stars because it's written very well, and because I think the majority of readers will appreciate the individual stories. It makes climate change more real, to be able to put a face to people it has affected and is affecting.
I think it's a great way to get readers interested in the climate crisis and if human interest stories appeal to you, I recommend this book.
I do not, however, recommend licking your fingers after touching money. Just don't.
December 22, 2023
Favorite book of the year so far
May 30, 2023
An important book about climate displacement and how climate change will force people to move away from inhospitable living conditions. I liked that Jake Bittle included the direct stories and quotes from people’s whose lives have already been affected by climate displacement. Climate change already affects people’s lives, especially those with fewer resources and who face greater societal marginalization. I appreciate that Bittle included some potential solutions to address climate change and climate displacement so that the book contains some level of hope.
Unfortunately I found the writing a bit boring/dull to read at times, however climate displacement is such an important issue so I’d still potentially recommend The Great Displacement to folks.
Unfortunately I found the writing a bit boring/dull to read at times, however climate displacement is such an important issue so I’d still potentially recommend The Great Displacement to folks.
August 29, 2024
An incredibly important book about how climate displacement is already affecting America and what the future looks like. There is a lot of really good information in this one that shows how people have been routinely screwed over by big corporations in the interest of development and money. Bittle paints a harrowing picture of the stress that climate change is already putting on a broken social, class, and governmental system while giving actionable steps to make a change. From floods in North Carolina to wildfires in California to erosion of the bayous in Louisiana, this book is filled with information, both personal and structural, about the people most affected by climate change in the United States. Sometimes, it does read like a textbook, but I found the audiobook to be an excellent companion on my walks.
pre-review: genuinely tweaking over the fact that realtors/current owners are not legally required to disclose if a house has previously been flooded (and usually don’t, especially in FLOOD AREAS) and you aren’t allowed to request flood history unless you are the house owner (aka when it’s too late). moral of the story: the system sucks and is predatory as hell because it only cares about development and profit as per usual.
pre-review: genuinely tweaking over the fact that realtors/current owners are not legally required to disclose if a house has previously been flooded (and usually don’t, especially in FLOOD AREAS) and you aren’t allowed to request flood history unless you are the house owner (aka when it’s too late). moral of the story: the system sucks and is predatory as hell because it only cares about development and profit as per usual.
December 15, 2022
A good overview of the various types of climate-related issues that will lead to domestic migration in the US over the next several decades. Lots of historical examples depicting how severe weather events driven by climate change affect populations of varying size in all regions of the US. Well-researched and written in a very accessible way. An excellent "starter book" if you're new to the topic of climate-driven migration.
November 17, 2024
A compelling and complicated look at the lives affected by climate change and the forced migration many undergo in the wake of natural disasters. Across these 8 chapters, Bittle shares the stories of real people and real events that span everywhere from the Florida Keys to suburban Arizona. From flood to drought, hurricane and wildfire, the narrative shows the huge economic and humanitarian effects the coming decades will have on hundreds of millions of Americans and what responsibility for preventing and responding to these events looks like.
I found each chapter and story to be gripping, as Bittle often leads with a human interest examination of what happened and puts you in the midst of their life and the events that unfolded. Then he uses these examples to look at the broken systems, both economically (such as in the housing market) or governmentally, that shape the response to these disasters. He also looks not only at reactive responses but proactive or planned relocation, and managed retreat.
Sadly, there's no real resolution to this issue as its on-going and will likely continue in years, decades to come. Even since the publication of this book in 2023 we've seen an increase in climate disasters and insufficient answers, reactions and responses to those deeply affected by them.
I found each chapter and story to be gripping, as Bittle often leads with a human interest examination of what happened and puts you in the midst of their life and the events that unfolded. Then he uses these examples to look at the broken systems, both economically (such as in the housing market) or governmentally, that shape the response to these disasters. He also looks not only at reactive responses but proactive or planned relocation, and managed retreat.
Sadly, there's no real resolution to this issue as its on-going and will likely continue in years, decades to come. Even since the publication of this book in 2023 we've seen an increase in climate disasters and insufficient answers, reactions and responses to those deeply affected by them.
July 24, 2023
It's impossible to deny climate change these days and The Great Displacement explains how climate migration is already underway. I found this to be an absolutely riveting read, especially in light of our experience with Hurricane Ian in Sanibel, FL last September.
Bittle structures the book to cover both weather/climate disasters and long-term growing problems. Each gets a separate chapter where the author digs into possible causes, government response, construction/ insurance/housing ramifications, and stories of individual families and homeowners in each danger zone.
The Great Displacement begins with Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, FL in 2017, then moves back to 1999 and the first attempt at government buyouts. This occurred in Kinston, NC following flooding along the Neuse River after Hurricane Floyd. Bittle explore the situation following California wildfires, coastal erosion in the Louisiana bayous, flood control in Houston, water scarcity in Arizona, and rising sea levels in Norfolk, VA. This is a comprehensive look at the many manifestations of climate change and various attempts to deal with them. I learned even more about the national flood insurance program, the insurance industry in general, FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, changing flood zones, and the effects on the housing market.
This is the most comprehensive look at the many climate change scenarios facing the United States that I have seen. I could not put this book down and even added the audio version so I could continue to listen when I could no longer sit and read. This will be one of my favorite nonfiction reads of 2023.
Bittle structures the book to cover both weather/climate disasters and long-term growing problems. Each gets a separate chapter where the author digs into possible causes, government response, construction/ insurance/housing ramifications, and stories of individual families and homeowners in each danger zone.
The Great Displacement begins with Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, FL in 2017, then moves back to 1999 and the first attempt at government buyouts. This occurred in Kinston, NC following flooding along the Neuse River after Hurricane Floyd. Bittle explore the situation following California wildfires, coastal erosion in the Louisiana bayous, flood control in Houston, water scarcity in Arizona, and rising sea levels in Norfolk, VA. This is a comprehensive look at the many manifestations of climate change and various attempts to deal with them. I learned even more about the national flood insurance program, the insurance industry in general, FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, changing flood zones, and the effects on the housing market.
This is the most comprehensive look at the many climate change scenarios facing the United States that I have seen. I could not put this book down and even added the audio version so I could continue to listen when I could no longer sit and read. This will be one of my favorite nonfiction reads of 2023.
November 25, 2023
The idea here is interesting but felt this could’ve been much more succinct. The editing by location vs type of disaster led to lots of repetition and story and not much analysis or information. I found myself zoning out a lot.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 13, 2023
To what do we owe each other?
Who is forced to leave due to climate change, and whose houses are shored up against the oncoming tides?
This is both a hopeful and depressing look at the future of the United States—and to a lesser extent, the world, seeing as we are all living on this rapidly heating little blue ball in the universe.
Bittle examines a variety of climate disasters, from rapid events like hurricanes and floods and fires to slow-moving disasters like drought, examining the wide-ranging effects, and how humans (and companies, most notably insurance companies and governments) have chosen to adapt or leave.
There's a coming migration within the United States, of climate refugees forced to move, and, like everything in this country, it is going to affect underserved and marginalized populations—particularly Black and Latine—first.
The bad news is that we've past the point of preventing climate change. The good news is that we have the tools to minimize the effects and hopefully cap the global temperature increase to 1.5 C.
The world we live in is going to seem like a fairy tale to our descendants.
Who is forced to leave due to climate change, and whose houses are shored up against the oncoming tides?
This is both a hopeful and depressing look at the future of the United States—and to a lesser extent, the world, seeing as we are all living on this rapidly heating little blue ball in the universe.
Bittle examines a variety of climate disasters, from rapid events like hurricanes and floods and fires to slow-moving disasters like drought, examining the wide-ranging effects, and how humans (and companies, most notably insurance companies and governments) have chosen to adapt or leave.
There's a coming migration within the United States, of climate refugees forced to move, and, like everything in this country, it is going to affect underserved and marginalized populations—particularly Black and Latine—first.
The bad news is that we've past the point of preventing climate change. The good news is that we have the tools to minimize the effects and hopefully cap the global temperature increase to 1.5 C.
The world we live in is going to seem like a fairy tale to our descendants.
November 29, 2024
This was a really eye opening book for me. I was a believer in climate change before reading this and I also had a basic understanding of how it was already impacting our lives in the present day, but seeing these disasters around the US explored in detail and seeing how the people who were victims of the initial disaster are often still struggling with the impact years later was startling. It seems like one of those realities that is obvious as soon as someone else points it out. Obviously someone who's house got burned down or blown away or flooded isn't going to be back to normal in a few months time. Obviously farmers who live in drought areas aren't doing fine and dandy. But at the same time, we spend so much time jumping from one disaster to another in the news, that its easy to see as one disaster coming to an end while another just gets started. But its clear these issues are compounding over the years and that its only going to get worse. I always enjoy when non-fiction stories zero in on individuals who are impacted about the issue they are discussing. It creates an increase in empathy for those who are victims of natural disasters when you see how lost they are after and how hard they just to fight for their home, their community or even just a safe place to raise their family. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in what we can expect of climate change and climate migration in the years to come. It may also be good for those who are trying to figure out where they want to live, because there are already places in America that are no longer safe to do so.
"For a long time, climate change was something to be discussed in abstract terms, something that existed in the future tense. That is no longer the case. Each passing year brings disasters that disfigure new parts of the United States, and these disasters alter the course of human lives, pushing people from one place to another, destroying old communities and forcing new ones to emerge" Pg.XV
"For a long time, climate change was something to be discussed in abstract terms, something that existed in the future tense. That is no longer the case. Each passing year brings disasters that disfigure new parts of the United States, and these disasters alter the course of human lives, pushing people from one place to another, destroying old communities and forcing new ones to emerge" Pg.XV
April 17, 2022
INCREDIBLE BOOK it did change my life you must read this book…. it is unprecedented in how good it is
October 10, 2024
4.5
This was really good and very engaging, I think because it was told in personal story form it made for a great audiobook. Would definitely recommend to everyone, and I think if you don't read a lot of nonfiction the personal story format is great. I think the author did a great job of condensing a lot of history of the areas he talked about, it definitely made me want more info sometimes, but the focus was more on how it is now with a brief explainer of how we got here- I think that structure worked well. It did occasionally get repetitive, but not really in a bad way, just in a "all these climate disasters follow the same pattern" and that's pretty depressing, I think it emphasized the point, but later in the book you could just see exactly what was going to happen before it did because of the completely corrupt system.
It's definitely a tough book to read in that sense, we have made so many choices- mostly based on racism and greed- and although the disasters keep coming, more frequently and worse every year, money and racism still rule most of the decisions being made and people with the power continue to not see any urgency to fix things. I think there was also a missing piece about supporting land back and Indigenous rights at the end, that through line from his research of the past did not quite make it to his conclusion for the future.
Related, I must note that I was surprised the author used the phrase "low on the totem pole" to describe something, surprised to see that in a recent book and one where the author researched Indigenous people in the areas he focused on.
This was really good and very engaging, I think because it was told in personal story form it made for a great audiobook. Would definitely recommend to everyone, and I think if you don't read a lot of nonfiction the personal story format is great. I think the author did a great job of condensing a lot of history of the areas he talked about, it definitely made me want more info sometimes, but the focus was more on how it is now with a brief explainer of how we got here- I think that structure worked well. It did occasionally get repetitive, but not really in a bad way, just in a "all these climate disasters follow the same pattern" and that's pretty depressing, I think it emphasized the point, but later in the book you could just see exactly what was going to happen before it did because of the completely corrupt system.
It's definitely a tough book to read in that sense, we have made so many choices- mostly based on racism and greed- and although the disasters keep coming, more frequently and worse every year, money and racism still rule most of the decisions being made and people with the power continue to not see any urgency to fix things. I think there was also a missing piece about supporting land back and Indigenous rights at the end, that through line from his research of the past did not quite make it to his conclusion for the future.
Related, I must note that I was surprised the author used the phrase "low on the totem pole" to describe something, surprised to see that in a recent book and one where the author researched Indigenous people in the areas he focused on.
September 21, 2023
Oh man as someone who left the west due to fires and watches this on the news, it was SO interesting to learn about how US policy and insurance etc etc are playing with climate migration. A good blend of real life anecdotes and facts made it really informative. Worth the listen for sure.
May 10, 2023
In 2021 1 in 3 Americans experienced an extreme weather event. It feels like things are changing from climate to geography to politics at an alarming rate. In the last 7 or 8 years the planet has increasingly been getting warmer. I am not sure if it's an availability bias on my part where it seems like one 'Once in a lifetime' weather event happening in such a continuous frequency that they all become blurred. I don't know if the news doing its disaster porn coverage that is also playing a part. The interconnectedness we experience now with smart phones increasing the images of houses flooded, trees being ripped out of the ground, extreme heat literally melting physical infrastructure. All these headlines are stuck in my head like a compilation of one natural disaster after another. I decided to pick up this book because I feel like ever since covid hit, remote work starting, supply chains being crushed... There is a new economic era that changes the tide culturally and then finally politically. This book doesn't explain everything that I am feeling or thinking about but it did provide some clues to how the demographics can change as the weather becomes more and more extreme. Lets jump in.
The book features a mix of story telling with data and personal stories from people who have lost everything from a climate disaster. Whether its a flood in Houston, a fire in California or a drought in Arizona that impacts the residents ability to farm and have access to water. You see a similar theme, people who could barely afford a home in the first place, buy a home, it gets destroyed by a natural disaster and they're left paying for the mortgage because often times the insurance doesn't cover the full value of the home. These events leave the price of the home in taters, often times owners are unable to sell. This has a rippling effect on the economic impact on the area. As housing prices reduce due to lack of desire to move there because of these events, schools close, communities lose critical infrastructure and before you know it becomes destitute. While more wealthy individuals or families can rebound quicker they can afford to take the loss in stride. When a whole community loses their home, this sets the prices of available homes in the area to astronomical heights. Effectively placing the poorest out of living in the community they grew up in. Not to mention governments will provide little assistance to the poorest communities. They often times do a cost benefit analysis on the homes in the area and if the cost to maintain them from the dangers of natural disasters is higher than the value of the homes themselves they end up letting it fall by the wayside as opposed to wealthier communities who can be a tax boon. They will make those investments for these areas depending on the degree of danger the homes are in. These areas are often set apart by racial lines as more affluent people tend to be able to get better protection for obvious reasons, they have more economic power. For people who were struggling with making payments on their place of living, these types of disasters are a death wish. Some never recover from the economic loss and are hurled into a downward spiral of economic stagnation, depression and tragically suicide.
For the last 10 years we have been having talks about the crisis of climate, we're getting closer to more and more Americans experiencing these events that its not bipartisan anymore in terms of its denial. Politician's cannot simply brush off this issue as its at the forefront of many peoples thoughts as they have endured personal lose through property value, human life and leaving their entire place of birth as they know it. In the coming years and decades. We will see more and more Americans move to places that traditionally they would not if it means being safer from extreme weather events. This will have cultural and political effects as well that will change the fabric of politics. We're already seeing it today, the book talks about these cultural shifts and what it means to communities.
A very interesting read, 4 stars is right for this book. I could see someone giving it 3 stars and another person giving it 5. For me its 4.
Thanks for reading, take care.
The book features a mix of story telling with data and personal stories from people who have lost everything from a climate disaster. Whether its a flood in Houston, a fire in California or a drought in Arizona that impacts the residents ability to farm and have access to water. You see a similar theme, people who could barely afford a home in the first place, buy a home, it gets destroyed by a natural disaster and they're left paying for the mortgage because often times the insurance doesn't cover the full value of the home. These events leave the price of the home in taters, often times owners are unable to sell. This has a rippling effect on the economic impact on the area. As housing prices reduce due to lack of desire to move there because of these events, schools close, communities lose critical infrastructure and before you know it becomes destitute. While more wealthy individuals or families can rebound quicker they can afford to take the loss in stride. When a whole community loses their home, this sets the prices of available homes in the area to astronomical heights. Effectively placing the poorest out of living in the community they grew up in. Not to mention governments will provide little assistance to the poorest communities. They often times do a cost benefit analysis on the homes in the area and if the cost to maintain them from the dangers of natural disasters is higher than the value of the homes themselves they end up letting it fall by the wayside as opposed to wealthier communities who can be a tax boon. They will make those investments for these areas depending on the degree of danger the homes are in. These areas are often set apart by racial lines as more affluent people tend to be able to get better protection for obvious reasons, they have more economic power. For people who were struggling with making payments on their place of living, these types of disasters are a death wish. Some never recover from the economic loss and are hurled into a downward spiral of economic stagnation, depression and tragically suicide.
For the last 10 years we have been having talks about the crisis of climate, we're getting closer to more and more Americans experiencing these events that its not bipartisan anymore in terms of its denial. Politician's cannot simply brush off this issue as its at the forefront of many peoples thoughts as they have endured personal lose through property value, human life and leaving their entire place of birth as they know it. In the coming years and decades. We will see more and more Americans move to places that traditionally they would not if it means being safer from extreme weather events. This will have cultural and political effects as well that will change the fabric of politics. We're already seeing it today, the book talks about these cultural shifts and what it means to communities.
A very interesting read, 4 stars is right for this book. I could see someone giving it 3 stars and another person giving it 5. For me its 4.
Thanks for reading, take care.
March 29, 2023
4.25, great book, I guess I’ll just never own a house ☺️
November 7, 2024
ekoevo kitap kulübü için okuduk. iklim krizi kaynaklı felaketler nedeniyle yerinden edilmiş (displaced) küçük komüniteler ve ailelerin hikayeleri üzerinden aynı zamanda amerika'daki sigorta sistemleri, ırkçılık, sınıfsallık gibi toplumsal sorunlara da değinmeye çalışıyor. bunu yaparken komünite ve ailelerin hikayelerini romantize etmeden çok güzel anlatmış bence ama onun dışında herhangi bir şey vaat etmiyor. hümanize edilmiş bir kriz anlatısı bence önemli, ama tutup da bütün bu anlattıklarını "ya amerikada çok yer var herkesin yaşayabilceği kadar" gibi bir noktaya bağlamak en kibar tabirle naiflik. olmadı.
July 24, 2024
this might not work for readers looking for a "harder science" take on climate change, but its human-interest approach—recounting the stories of individuals and communities, all within the united states, who have already been rendered climate migrants or climate refugees to varying degrees—very much worked for me. a good deal of discourse surrounding climate change attempts, with urgent pleas, to call attention to the fact that its effects will disproportionately be felt in the global south, and I think that reminding people of the monstrous injustice of that fact is critically important, but I also think it may make those of us not living in the global south feel a false sense of security. I, therefore, found this book (whose title references the great migration) a really interesting angle from which to approach the issue, especially given its continual centering of the fact that, even within the united states, race and class will bear overwhelming weight in who will suffer the most—who has already suffered and is already suffering the most—from the worsening climate crisis.
super engaging, super readable (listenable), absolutely terrifying. we are staring down the barrel of a gun.
super engaging, super readable (listenable), absolutely terrifying. we are staring down the barrel of a gun.
August 30, 2023
This is dispiriting but necessary. It is clear climate change will affect all of us and this book shows how. Yes, marginalized communities often suffer earlier and more, but even better off/richer communities have their own issues, usually related to insurance payouts not covering the full cost of their homes. Climate change is equal opportunity disaster.
In fact I learned more about insurance in this book than I ever thought I'd need to know but I live in CA and it is scary and not improbable (I now know) that my homeowners insurance could be canceled. I also learned that FEMA is an acute response, and where it might make sense to take preventative actions, the systems aren't set up to do that. I can see how communities are not able to fully recover, often through punitive bureaucracy.
The variety of personal stories kept this book moving and made it real and not theoretical.
In fact I learned more about insurance in this book than I ever thought I'd need to know but I live in CA and it is scary and not improbable (I now know) that my homeowners insurance could be canceled. I also learned that FEMA is an acute response, and where it might make sense to take preventative actions, the systems aren't set up to do that. I can see how communities are not able to fully recover, often through punitive bureaucracy.
The variety of personal stories kept this book moving and made it real and not theoretical.
September 16, 2023
This book surprised me. I expected a dry review of data, and that's not what this is. This is a sweeping narrative of climate migration in the US, including personal stories of affected people. The author did a great job of showing how systemic inequities impact disaster response, and (my personal favorite part) makes you think about what we owe to one another. He suggests some excellent, radical, large-scale solutions to the coming humanitarian crises.
I recommend this very, very highly.
I recommend this very, very highly.
February 15, 2024
Incredibly informative and eye-opening about the numerous ways in which climate change is displacing people from their homes, and the challenges that must be managed now and also in the near-future. However, definitely a bit of an anxiety-provoking as well, at least for me. Incredibly worth reading, but definitely have some lighter lined up for you next book when you're finished.
March 1, 2024
A great book about a stressful topic. The case studies made something so abstract feel personal… like climate change is already happening to people just like us (which it is!!!). If I were still teaching APES I would figure out a way to use these case studies in class.
Read
September 13, 2024really well written. i cried a lot
January 27, 2025
Such a great and sad book clearly outlining how reckless development over centuries can and will all come to a head at some point.
Well written and easily accessible.
Well written and easily accessible.
January 30, 2025
A sobering look at the impact climate change will have on where we live—and where we are capable of living in an era of increasingly unpredictable weather impacts. If I were to choose a required reading nonfiction book for 2025, this may well be it.
August 8, 2024
very interesting and important read & really puts into perspective how the climate crisis is already here and many are facing the consequences of it without even realizing
January 13, 2025
Extremely sad, really hard to get through with everything going on this past week. Makes a strong case against homeownership and for moving to Wisconsin. Not sure about the suggestion at the end that universal vouchers will allow renters to live wherever they want after natural disasters, but his heart was in the right place
February 20, 2024
Very informative read on housing and other risks related to climate change. 0/10 recommend if you already suffer from climate anxiety
May 26, 2024
We don’t have to look back and fear that the most exciting times of history have passed. We are living in consequential times — the 2020 pandemic was just one of them, and climate migration is another.
Fascinating book that weaves together some impressions from HBS. The first is the idea that the current insurance/ federal system is not prepared for the expensive consequences of climate change, specifically the housing market. The author covers hurricanes and floods in Florida and Texas to wildfires in California to extreme heat and drought in agricultural swathes in Arizona. As a non-American the obvious place to live/ rent for me would be the coastal cities, but fascinating to wonder if the economic and cultural power will eventually shift away from NYC/ LA/ SF to the middle, and where my classmates would end up. As an investor, you would want to invest in climate resilient assets. Also so grateful for the education I received in the past 2 years, without which this book would be so much more foreign to me.
But tying this with our first year FIELD experience where we visited the inner cities of America, which people were migrating away from and wanted to attract the tax dollars back: Boise, Detroit, Baltimore — these cities could actually stand a chance as climate migration draws people inland. Fascinating to see the cycles of history and how nothing is ever permanent — not the collapse of the catfish industry in Alabama, or the death of mining towns like Branson Missouri.
Not mad that my 30% federal tax dollars could be going to climate adaptation and resilience.
Excerpts
Disasters tend to make people more attached to their homes, not less. […] What gets lost when a fire consumes a place like Greenville are not just houses and streets, but floors that witnessed children's first steps, kitchens that hosted nighttime arguments, cul-de-sacs that signaled the end of evening commutes. When a community disappears, so does a map that orients us in the world.
Elected officials [in California] had every political incentive to deny new housing rather than approve it. The oldest, wealthiest, most engaged constituents all tended to be longtime homeowners rather than newcomers or renters, and these homeowners abhorred new development that might disrupt their idyllic single-family neighborhoods. The result was a classic tragedy of the commons: everyone supported new housing in theory, but no one supported it in practice.
California's combination of restrictive laws and rapid growth has made homeownership burdensome for middle-class families and all but impossible for low-income households. According to one estimate, the shortage exceeds four million units, which means ten million people need a home but do not have one. […] The insurance market socialized the risk of fire damage across the state, creating an equilibrium that allowed people to live in areas that were destined to burn.
The developers who carpeted Houston with concrete had been running up a flood debt with Mother Nature. Every time they built a new neighborhood on the northwest edge of the city, they destroyed more of the natural drainage system that had helped prevent flooding. The rainwater that fell on the uplands still had to drain southeast through the city and into the gulf, but now there was no soil to soak it up as it passed through the landscape. […] The rapid outward pace of real estate development had slammed up against the immovable facts of nature, creating urban and suburban landscapes that faced perennial risk from flooding. The residents of these neighborhoods were the victims not of bad luck but of bad design.
Harvey was a thousand-year flood event, many times more severe than anything the county had ever incorporated into its plans. The storm exhibited all the strange and terrifying characteristics common to hurricanes in the age of climate change: it intensified to full strength in a matter of days, stalled over the moist gulf landscape, and seemed to contain an infinite amount of rain. Even for seasoned Houstonians, it was truly unprecedented. Harvey only further underscored what the county already knew, which was that many older sections of Houston should never have been built at all.
The developers then wrote a letter to FEMA asking the agency to grant a "letter of map revision"-in other words, to gerrymander the maps-so that they could build on the site. The dirt wasn't enough to stop Harvey, though, and after the storm, residents returned to find their McMansions filled with brown water.
The investment firm Blackstone had purchased thousands of these homes through a subsidiary and had at one time become the nation's largest owner of such properties. An analysis by the Houston Chronicle found that between five thousand and twelve thousand flooded homes were sold after Harvey, and that many of those sales were to large institutional investors and hedge funds.
The ripple effect now spreads beyond the individual homeowners and begins to disturb the labyrinthine financial system that makes their mortgages possible. Large banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America have written thousands of mortgages in the Norfolk area, but they don't seem too concerned even as home values plummet in Larchmont and some mortgage holders go belly-up. That's because the banks have already taken steps to shield themselves from a climate-driven crash like this one. Many financial institutions have already begun to conduct internal "stress tests" of their mortgage holdings, using proprietary data to identify the areas with the greatest flood risk. In many cases, when banks write home loans in one of these areas, they quickly sell the mortgage to either Fannie Mae or Freddie Мас.
The trend of migration from California to Idaho is among the best illustrations of how climate negentropy will work over the next decades. […] Patterns began to emerge in the Maria diaspora. The biggest destinations were Orlando and Miami, which was predictable: these two cities had large Puerto Rican and Spanish-speaking populations as well as ample spare housing in the city and suburbs, and they were only an hour's flight from Puerto Rico. […] Buffalo, New York, and Springfield, Massachusetts, both of which were hundreds of miles away from the island and had a far smaller stock of hotels and affordable housing. But both cities boasted large Puerto Rican communities that had bloomed over generations as Puerto Ricans arrived to work manufacturing jobs.
A permanent regional crisis like this one, should it come to pass, would threaten an ideal at the heart of American history-the ideal of expansion. The history of the United States since the very moment of its colonization has been a series of attempts to chart new lands, till new sections of ground, and build in new places. The coming era of climate catastrophe will force us to backtrack this centuries-long pattern of growth, shrinking back from the most hostile and vulnerable areas. When that happens, the eyes of the nation may once again shift north.
The Rust Belt, and in particular the cities that border the Great Lakes. Many Rust Belt cities have been losing population for decades, shrinking down to a fraction of their mid-century size, so they have plenty of room for new arrivals. Indeed, many of these cities are already trying to brand themselves as climate havens.
Fascinating book that weaves together some impressions from HBS. The first is the idea that the current insurance/ federal system is not prepared for the expensive consequences of climate change, specifically the housing market. The author covers hurricanes and floods in Florida and Texas to wildfires in California to extreme heat and drought in agricultural swathes in Arizona. As a non-American the obvious place to live/ rent for me would be the coastal cities, but fascinating to wonder if the economic and cultural power will eventually shift away from NYC/ LA/ SF to the middle, and where my classmates would end up. As an investor, you would want to invest in climate resilient assets. Also so grateful for the education I received in the past 2 years, without which this book would be so much more foreign to me.
But tying this with our first year FIELD experience where we visited the inner cities of America, which people were migrating away from and wanted to attract the tax dollars back: Boise, Detroit, Baltimore — these cities could actually stand a chance as climate migration draws people inland. Fascinating to see the cycles of history and how nothing is ever permanent — not the collapse of the catfish industry in Alabama, or the death of mining towns like Branson Missouri.
Not mad that my 30% federal tax dollars could be going to climate adaptation and resilience.
Excerpts
Disasters tend to make people more attached to their homes, not less. […] What gets lost when a fire consumes a place like Greenville are not just houses and streets, but floors that witnessed children's first steps, kitchens that hosted nighttime arguments, cul-de-sacs that signaled the end of evening commutes. When a community disappears, so does a map that orients us in the world.
Elected officials [in California] had every political incentive to deny new housing rather than approve it. The oldest, wealthiest, most engaged constituents all tended to be longtime homeowners rather than newcomers or renters, and these homeowners abhorred new development that might disrupt their idyllic single-family neighborhoods. The result was a classic tragedy of the commons: everyone supported new housing in theory, but no one supported it in practice.
California's combination of restrictive laws and rapid growth has made homeownership burdensome for middle-class families and all but impossible for low-income households. According to one estimate, the shortage exceeds four million units, which means ten million people need a home but do not have one. […] The insurance market socialized the risk of fire damage across the state, creating an equilibrium that allowed people to live in areas that were destined to burn.
The developers who carpeted Houston with concrete had been running up a flood debt with Mother Nature. Every time they built a new neighborhood on the northwest edge of the city, they destroyed more of the natural drainage system that had helped prevent flooding. The rainwater that fell on the uplands still had to drain southeast through the city and into the gulf, but now there was no soil to soak it up as it passed through the landscape. […] The rapid outward pace of real estate development had slammed up against the immovable facts of nature, creating urban and suburban landscapes that faced perennial risk from flooding. The residents of these neighborhoods were the victims not of bad luck but of bad design.
Harvey was a thousand-year flood event, many times more severe than anything the county had ever incorporated into its plans. The storm exhibited all the strange and terrifying characteristics common to hurricanes in the age of climate change: it intensified to full strength in a matter of days, stalled over the moist gulf landscape, and seemed to contain an infinite amount of rain. Even for seasoned Houstonians, it was truly unprecedented. Harvey only further underscored what the county already knew, which was that many older sections of Houston should never have been built at all.
The developers then wrote a letter to FEMA asking the agency to grant a "letter of map revision"-in other words, to gerrymander the maps-so that they could build on the site. The dirt wasn't enough to stop Harvey, though, and after the storm, residents returned to find their McMansions filled with brown water.
The investment firm Blackstone had purchased thousands of these homes through a subsidiary and had at one time become the nation's largest owner of such properties. An analysis by the Houston Chronicle found that between five thousand and twelve thousand flooded homes were sold after Harvey, and that many of those sales were to large institutional investors and hedge funds.
The ripple effect now spreads beyond the individual homeowners and begins to disturb the labyrinthine financial system that makes their mortgages possible. Large banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America have written thousands of mortgages in the Norfolk area, but they don't seem too concerned even as home values plummet in Larchmont and some mortgage holders go belly-up. That's because the banks have already taken steps to shield themselves from a climate-driven crash like this one. Many financial institutions have already begun to conduct internal "stress tests" of their mortgage holdings, using proprietary data to identify the areas with the greatest flood risk. In many cases, when banks write home loans in one of these areas, they quickly sell the mortgage to either Fannie Mae or Freddie Мас.
The trend of migration from California to Idaho is among the best illustrations of how climate negentropy will work over the next decades. […] Patterns began to emerge in the Maria diaspora. The biggest destinations were Orlando and Miami, which was predictable: these two cities had large Puerto Rican and Spanish-speaking populations as well as ample spare housing in the city and suburbs, and they were only an hour's flight from Puerto Rico. […] Buffalo, New York, and Springfield, Massachusetts, both of which were hundreds of miles away from the island and had a far smaller stock of hotels and affordable housing. But both cities boasted large Puerto Rican communities that had bloomed over generations as Puerto Ricans arrived to work manufacturing jobs.
A permanent regional crisis like this one, should it come to pass, would threaten an ideal at the heart of American history-the ideal of expansion. The history of the United States since the very moment of its colonization has been a series of attempts to chart new lands, till new sections of ground, and build in new places. The coming era of climate catastrophe will force us to backtrack this centuries-long pattern of growth, shrinking back from the most hostile and vulnerable areas. When that happens, the eyes of the nation may once again shift north.
The Rust Belt, and in particular the cities that border the Great Lakes. Many Rust Belt cities have been losing population for decades, shrinking down to a fraction of their mid-century size, so they have plenty of room for new arrivals. Indeed, many of these cities are already trying to brand themselves as climate havens.
November 4, 2023
Very good. A realistic and non-fearmongering read about the current and future impacts of climate change on human migration. This quote from the book sums it up: "For many Americans, climate change will look like letting go of their old ideas of home, ideas that in many cases are synonymous with the American Dream."
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