Global warming could cause surge in European asylum seekers in coming decades

Europe is currently struggling to absorb an influx of refugees from war-torn Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and parts of Africa. Germany alone has taken in more than a million people since 2015, many of whom have sought asylum status. This wave of immigration has led to political upheaval, with the rise of right-wing political parties in Germany, Poland, Austria, and Hungary, among others. 

Now a new study, published in the journal Science, shows that the current surge in refugees may be a preview of what's to come due in large part to global warming. Studies have already tied climate change to the civil war in Syria and raised red flags about how climate change can serve as a threat multiplier, increasing the odds of conflict. However, this new work, from researchers at Columbia University, is the first to examine climate change's upcoming impact on migration, as measured via asylum applications to the European Union.  Read more...

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