Activists Discuss Climate-Change and Immigration

DES MOINES, IOWA (August 24, 2019) — The National Wildlife Federation and Iowa affiliate hosted a forum to discuss climate-change and immigration and the need to address these topics together. Speakers included Karin Stein of Ecomadres and Moms Clean Air Force, Michelle Bruggenthies of the Boundary Waters Action Fund, Somali refugee and Sanders Campaign staffer Abshir Omar, and State Senator Claire Celsi.   As island nations and international organizations prepare for rising sea-levels and uninhabitable lands, climate advocates in Iowa are discussing the need to mitigate the impacts of climate-change and the migration caused by severe weather. Climate-change is fueling more disasters each year and the severe weather is driving migration across the world. As legislators face demands of slowing the advance of the earth’s temperature, they must also acknowledge the need to review immigration and plans for migration as the result of climate-change.     “We have a responsibility to the people of Iowa, our nation, and the world to address climate-change,” said Senator Claire Celsi (SD-21). “Climate scientists in Iowa have provided recommendations on how to act, but we still have no meaningful plan as a state to protect public-health and our environment and mitigate the impact climate-change has on our communities. I’m committed to doing what I can to elevate this issue and work with Iowa’s legislature to both reduce the impacts of climate-change, and tackle the needs facing migration and displaced people across the world.”    “People migrate for so many reasons, but at the core of migration is pursuit of a better life for yourself and your family,” said Karin Stein of Ecomadres and Moms Clean Air Force. “Countries in our own hemisphere are dealing with increasing violence and chaos that is driving their people to look elsewhere. These issues are only amplified by severe weather, particularly in underdeveloped nations not equipped to respond. At the end of the day, the costs exacerbated by climate-change are impacting everything we do, everywhere we go. Combating climate change and moving toward 100% clean-energy across the economy is critical if we’re going to mitigate the worst that climate-change could bring to bear.”   “As a refugee and active member of her community, my mother taught me the importance of taking care of others,” said Abshir Omar of the Sanders Campaign. “That is why I am actively involved in selecting the next President and working to make sure that is someone who welcomes those seeking a better life, and who will get back to the important work we have to do on climate-change. Iowa should be both a place people feel welcome to build a better life for themselves and family and a state leading to fight climate-change.”   “Working to protect the Boundary Waters, I’ve seen how closely we are all tied to our natural heritage and the outdoors,” said Michelle Bruggenthies of the Boundary Waters Action Fund. “Combating climate-change and preserving opportunities to get outdoors is important for our public health and makes our communities stronger. I hope that by coming together with Iowans, we can do the work needed to protect our air and water, slow the rate of climate-change, and make sure the Boundary Waters and other Wilderness areas are here to enjoy for future generations.”    From the Pacific Northwest to fires in the Amazon Rainforest, natural disasters destroy homes and displace entire communities. This year, fires in the Amazon are up 80 percent, and the current blaze will displace millions of indigenous people as 500 tribes live within the Amazon. The local and global impacts of severe weather cannot go ignored — especially as the Amazon generates 20 percent of the world’s oxygen and 10 percent of the world’s biodiversity. The impacts on world health will be felt no matter how we respond.   The environmental community in Iowa will continue to call for action on climate change and a plan to address the state, national, and global consequences.