Between the ongoing global pandemic, the unrelenting far-right movement here in the United States, and the lingering issues caused by Donald Trump’s time in office, it can be all too tempting to dismiss climate-related concerns as matters to be figured out in the future. But the time really is now (if not, admittedly, in the past), as studies upon studies continue to show us. One recent report, for example, comes to us from the World Bank, suggesting that by 2050, a worst-case scenario of the climate crisis could force more than 200 million people to leave their homes, as covered by the Associated Press.

Why? A gradual decrease in crops, rising sea levels, and a lack of clean water could lead to millions of people needing to evacuate from their homes. The report suggests this trend could occur in many regions, including North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, and East Asia, and the Pacific. When researchers looked at the climate crisis from a best-case scenario lens, they found that more than 40 million people may need to relocate within their own countries due to climate change. As well as economic and security concerns, this is also undeniably an example of collective trauma.

So, what can be done? According to researchers, we need to be taking action now to determine possible hotspots for migration, prepare for where people in need will move to, and support people who are not able (or choose not to) migrate elsewhere. We know that refugees and people living in conflicts are particularly vulnerable, for example, as a lack of development and stability can severely impact their ability to prepare and adapt. We also know that before moving countries, people tend to shift from rural to urban areas. All of this context is potentially important in giving people the safest route for migration.

In terms of climate change itself, researchers stress the importance of collective action to reduce emissions and development. 

If thinking about the future in these terms makes you reflect a little deeper on the way climate change may impact your life or the life of future generations, you are not alone. As reported by The Washington Post, a new survey published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center shows that more than half of folks living in economically advanced countries are concerned that climate change will make them suffer. That is to say that while experts are deeply concerned about how chronically folks, like refugees, will survive the climate crisis, the planet may finally be in a dire enough position that even privileged folks are waking up. 

This particular survey included residents of more than 15 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America, with about 20,000 people. Most people surveyed—including most Americans—claim they would be open to making changes in how they live to help reduce climate change. Unsurprisingly, younger generations on the global scale are more concerned about how climate change may affect them personally when compared to older folks. Also unsurprisingly, progressives worldwide say they are more willing to make those personal changes to combat climate change.

Now, individual choices are critical, but it’s really corporations that need to make large-scale changes. Clearly, most corporations aren’t willing to do that independently, so we need our elected officials (and the general public) to hold them accountable and push for better.