The Strength to Weather the Storm
Trading four seasons and the subway for the gold coast and traffic seem like a far cry from avoiding drought or constant earthquakes. It’s the end of March and the beginning of Spring. With a few Nor’easters under our belts everyone is waiting with baited breath for weather to finally break into the continuous warmth. “Climate change is an important driving force of human migration. For the first time, a University of Otago [New Zealand] researcher has shown that not only are the effects of climate change influencing people’s decision to migrate, it is actually a more important driver than income and political freedom at the origin country.” [1](University of Otago, 2017)
Immigrants are heading to new locales not only in the hopes of better lives but also due to climate related challenges in their homelands. “…events like storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts have different effects on migration. In particular, temperature rise is having a major influence in immigration decisions – intuitively, people are moving away from the negative effects of climate change. He has also shown that single or unforeseen events, such as storms, can have a long-lasting impact on a country’s immigration figure. Climate refugees have yet to be recognized officially by international law and included in the UN refugee convention, but the predicted two to three degrees Celsius rise in global temperature will see climate refugees rather sooner than later.” [2](University of Otago, 2017)
In a country like the United States one of the most common weather locale swaps is New York to Los Angeles or vice versa. Not including the natives, many people residing in either of those locations have travelled long distances to call these places home. “Weather…affects everything… For that reason it must be considered carefully before deciding where to move to a [faraway] place. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious condition that [could] rule out countries with protracted winters. Likewise, countries with extremes of daylight (in either direction) should be avoided, as sunlight (or the lack of it) represents a clear and present health concern….in Ireland, people get tested regularly for vitamin D levels. If your levels are on the edge, they recommend mega doses. I guess that’s how they stay so cheerful even in January.
Other areas of your life that will be affected by the weather in a new country are:
Heating/Cooling bills
Place of Work – Can you commute on public transport, walk or bike, or will you need to drive (buy a car, scooter, or motor bike)?
Wardrobe – Will you need new clothes, lighter/heavier, extra layers, or different work clothes?
Housing – Will you need a bigger house (or can you get by with less) because kids can’t/can play outside all year long?
Pets – Is it safe, or reasonable for children and pets to be indoor/outdoor?
Pest Control – Will there be more creepy crawlies, or less?
Allergies – If a family member is particularly prone to allergies, what are the local allergens?
Hobbies – There’s no outdoor tennis six months a year in Greenland. That’s okay; you can’t see the balls outside six months a year anyway.
While these may seem like minor issues, they can all weigh on you and affect your emotions, lifestyle, and finances. At a time when you are adjusting to a new life in a myriad of other stressful ways, the last thing you need is additional unanticipated stress.” [3](Kauffman, 2012)
Changing weather brings with it other welcome shifts; shedding of winter coats, donning of short pants and flip flops to name a few. DACA recipients in the United States are also waiting for the wind to shift in their favor as they await legislation that will decide their fate. “In September, Trump said he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program but gave Congress six months to develop a legislative fix. Those [DACA recipients] whose permits expired by March 5 had one month to apply for renewal.”[4] (3)
As the days pass and the weather appears not to be budging, so too is the state of DACA for hundreds of thousands. “Nearly 683,000 people were enrolled at the end of January, eight out of every 10 from Mexico. Former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, now Trump’s chief of staff, last year scrapped the Obama administration’s policy of limiting deportations to people who pose a public safety threat, convicted criminals and those who have crossed the border recently, effectively making anyone in the country illegally vulnerable. Deportation arrests have surged more than 40 percent under Trump.”(New 95, 2018)
If you want to find out what it feels like out all you need to do is take a step outside. Now imagine that when you cross the threshold of your home it’s so hot outside that nothing can grow for a 500 mile radius or on the flip side, torrential rains have been beating down on the land for two weeks straight. Inhospitable conditions are enough to make anyone head for hills or some other safe retreat. Think of how it would feel if the land where you lived rejected you and then the other humans where you moved for refuge did the same.
[1] University of Otago [New Zealand] (October 17th, 2017) Climate change and extreme weather driving migration https://bit.ly/2gbuGke
[2] University of Otago [New Zealand] (October 17th, 2017) Climate change and extreme weather driving migration https://bit.ly/2gbuGke
[3] Kauffman, Glenn (November 14th, 2012) Let’s Talk About The Weather – How Weather Affects The Immigrant’s Way Of Life https://bit.ly/2uka6Ed
[4] News 95.5 AM 750 WSB (March 5th, 2018) DACA DEADLINE FOR US IMMIGRANTS ARRIVES WITH LESS URGENCY https://bit.ly/2pG48Is
