The Next American Migration: What Climate Change Means for the Future of Cities

Across the globe, climate change is wreaking havoc on the earth’s ecological and social systems. Cities in the U.S are no exception, and over the last several years, the number of Americans directly affected by climate disasters has dramatically increased. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates 1.7 million Americans were displaced by disasters in 2020, and we can only expect that number to grow in the coming years.

For city staff and local elected officials, understanding how migration driven by climate change could impact their town or city is becoming critically important. Cities that take action to improve local resilience, protect affordable housing, decarbonize their economies and keep at-risk residents out of harm’s way will be in a better position to face this challenge, regardless of their net loss or population gain.

On Thursday, April 21 at 2:00pm ET, the National League of Cities will launch The Next American Migration: What Local and State Governments Need to Know About Climate Change and Populations on the Move, a report that explores how climate migration impacts local governments that are already experiencing demographic shifts. Join us to learn to more about the resource and hear how cities across the U.S. are responding to and preparing for population changes resulting from a changing climate.

Speakers include:

Mayor Jeni Arndt, City of Fort Collins, CO
Mayor Keith James, City of West Palm Beach, FL
Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability & Resilience, City of Orlando, FL
Clarence E. Anthony, CEO & Executive Director, National League of Cities