Who are refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers? Refugees are defined and protected by international law. Asylum-seekers are seeking asylum in another country to seek the status of refugees. Migrants usually are moving across national boundaries for economic reasons, primarily to seek employment. The technical status is secondary to the huge human need due to wars, the climate crisis, and civil unrest in failed states.

We need to create a more just and equitable immigration system. We currently try to process all three through the same system, and it doesn’t work. Migrant workers usually are processed via a work permit program, but so are educated and high-demand workers. Even if they fill urgent labor shortages, such as health care, and have a work permit, it takes years to get a green card to start the process to becoming a naturalized citizen.

In 2022 the total costs of the Climate Crisis in the US were $148.3 billion for winter storms, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. For just the first eight months of 2023, the costs have been 16.7 billion, and the hurricane season hasn’t really started yet. That’s not counting the loss of life or displacement of persons or insurance premiums to pay for some of these losses. We know that Canada also already had an extreme wildfire season this year.

While these losses cannot be charged directly to climate conditions, the correlations are well established. We’re talking real money now. This is no longer a theoretical issue raised by the scientists about future harm. We’re talking about tipping the curve where we may be approaching the point of no return. We are getting close to the point where we may not be able to recover from the damage we’ve already done, much less the damage that we are continuing to do.

The climate crisis is a global emergency that is already having a devastating impact on people and the planet. The main cause of the climate crisis is human activity, which has led to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, causing the planet to warm.

The effects of the climate crisis are already being felt around the world. These include more extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires; rising sea levels; and changes in agricultural yields. These impacts are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable people, including those living in poverty, those in coastal areas, and those who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.

The climate crisis is a serious threat to our planet and our way of life. If we do not take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the impacts of the climate crisis will only get worse. We need to take bold action now to protect our planet and future generations.