Understanding Climate Migration in the Local Context

This session will provide an overview of climate-induced migration in the US context, with particular attention to the impacts on and opportunities for local communities. A simple framework will be presented to help guide the conversation and help attendees better understand why it is important for small towns and large cities alike to consider how they might integrate preparedness activities into their comprehensive plans, climate action or adaptation plans, and other guiding documents. Some of the questions to consider during this session: Will climate change bring newcomers to my community and who might arrive? How can my community build capacity to respond? What welcoming infrastructure do communities need to think about to prepare for newcomers? How does welcoming advance or affect resilience and sustainability? What next steps can interested practitioners and local leaders take to advance the local conversation? We’ll leave plenty of time for questions and discussion.