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Hello,

While I was helping with MIT Alumni for Climate Action (MACA) climate lessons, I learned about adaptation and mitigation. That led me to a National Academies video on climate adaptation, which led me to a National Academies book that included adaptation and mitigation. I then realized that I, as a chemical engineer and biological scientist, was lacking in the sociology and psychology of climate change.

I also realized that I might be able to reach more people, with respect to the need for climate action, if I read some journal articles and reviews on sociology[1] and psychology of climate change.

In the annual review[1], the researchers mention that there is a great disparity between the poor and the wealthy. Also, Hispanics and blacks live in areas that are the most impacted by climate change. They also lack, on average, the education and resources to effectively navigate FEMA. According to [1], white people tended to become more wealthy after a climate crisis than black and Hispanic people. They navigated the FEMA process more effectively. A glaring example of the disparity is how Puerto Rico has been helped compared to other areas of the continental USA during climate emergencies. Maria, the hurricane that leveled Puerto Rico, killed more than 4600 people. Many thousands were displaced, but the problem persisted before Maria hit. The regulations on building houses and the process of building suitable structures was expensive and beyond the reach of many poor Puerto Ricans. This caused their structures to be more severely affected than the more wealthy inhabitants. Similar circumstances are seen in the populations of blacks and Hispanics in climate crisis zones.

From reading this annual review[1], I realize that many US citizens will be affected by climate change. Many will have to adapt and then migrate. Others will just have to migrate because of, as an example, sea level rise. Is it unrealistic to think that a sea wall will protect New York City, Washington DC, Miami, and many other coastal communities. Will salt water intrusion still force migration where the fresh water table can be affected due to porous rock? Still, migration of a whole city seems far-fetched. Is it practical though? Is it inevitable? I am not certain, but I know the poor will have less resources than the rich according to this annual review[1].

References:

[1] Klinenberg, E., Araos, M., & Koslov, L. (2020). Sociology and the Climate Crisis. Annual Review of Sociology, 46(1), 649–669. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054750