Journalists Warn of the Displacing Effects of Climate Change at Clough Center Event – The Heights

From wildfires in California to eroding coastlines in southern India, climate change is increasingly displacing millions worldwide and forcing communities to reshape their understandings of migration, according to journalist Meera Subramanian. 

“We like things not to change, but they are changing—and they’re changing fast,” Subramanian said. “And so the question starts becoming thinking about migration as an adaptation.” 

Subramanian spoke Wednesday at the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy’s third “Climate Is Every Story” panel, a series exploring the nexus of climate change and journalism. Titled “Forced Migration and Changing Communities,” this installment explored how climate factors are transforming communities across the globe.

Moderator Ted Hesson, BC ’02 and Reuters immigration reporter; María Piñeros-Leaño, associate professor in the Graduate School of Social Work; and Maryanne Loughry, professor in the Graduate School of Social Work, joined Subramanian for the panel.

Hesson opened with a story about a young Colombian couple whose home was destroyed by a landslide. Without the money to rebuild it and few options left, they made the arduous journey through Panama and the Darién Gap jungle with their 1-year-old daughter, hoping to reach the United States. 

“That climate factor clearly played a role in the decision to take on a very difficult trip,” Hesson said. “And in other reporting I’ve done, I’ve seen that this can be decisive, and push someone to feel that they need to migrate—or they’re forced to migrate.”

Hesson warned that these stories are becoming more common worldwide. 

“This is a global issue,” he said. “Statistics from the World Bank [indicate that] by 2050, they’re expecting 216 million people worldwide to be forcibly displaced—the majority internally—due to climate factors.”

The panelists emphasized that these migration effects are symptomatic of broader environmental concerns that can no longer be ignored. 

“We need to adapt,” Subramanian urged. “We are at the point with climate change where we’re actively missing the window of being able to mitigate the impacts of it.”

She also stressed the importance of engaging in conversations about climate change. 

“One of the main things climate change studies have shown is that many people are concerned, but very few people talk about it,” Subramanian said. “One of the greatest things that can happen to move the needle is actually acting on it, and acting on it needs to stay highly relevant, because these things are going to get worse.” 

Loughry emphasized that displacement doesn’t end once people relocate to a new place. 

“If people do have to relocate, how do we let them become part of our community?” she asked, also noting that climate-driven displacements often put pressure on communities, schools, and local infrastructure. 

Piñeros-Leaño added that faith-based communities often provide this solace for migrants.

 “What we have found with Hurricane Maria survivors is a lot of them have found an oasis in their churches, and in their religious leaders,” she said. 

The panelists stressed that these were not isolated anecdotes but reflections of a greater, pressing issue. 

The panel made clear that the world is at a critical juncture, and society’s response will determine the potential for a better future. 

“What we do about it—what we as humanity, together, decide to do about it—is fundamentally a story about narrative, and what we believe,” Subramanian said. “It’s about ethics, it’s about responsibility. It’s about what we owe future generations.”