Climate change has been identified as one of the main reasons for people’s internal and external displacement worldwide.

In my day job working with refugees and immigrants, I have seen a significant increase in refugees and immigrants due to climate change. The impact of climate change is creating the need to migrate through inhospitable environments and poor crop yields in countries of origin. I have seen first-hand migration due to climate change through my work with the Marshallese population.

Here at home, the exponential rise in energy costs due to frigid winters and sweltering summers caused by climate change is forcing Michiganders to choose between keeping the house hospitable versus buying groceries to feed the family, thus taking away financial stability. For recent immigrants like my family and others, becoming financially stable is simply not possible when we spend most of our income just paying energy bills to withstand extreme temperatures.