‘Reverse Migration’ Brings New Risk: Climate Change

An article for Capital B and republished in Inside Climate News by Adam Mahoney draws attention to a growing conundrum: as more Black Americans move to the South in search of affordability and good weather, they are increasingly at risk from climate disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. “Over the past decade, Texas and Florida, two states known for hurricanes and extreme heat waves – but mild winters – have seen the most new residents as roughly a third of relocating Americans say ‘better weather’ is the reason for their moves.” 

As Mahoney explains, 94 percent of the nation’s Black population growth since 2020 has occurred in the South. Meanwhile, “The country’s most climate vulnerable counties are concentrated in the Southeast, according to the most comprehensive climate risk data available.” Since 2016, more than half of major weather-related power outages happened in Southern states. 

“For Black folks, this presents a unique set of considerations — and challenges. It seems that in the attempt to escape the environmental racism and the poor health outcomes of the North and Midwest, Black people are essentially moving toward the epicenter of climate disasters, says Rhiana Gunn-Wright, the director of climate policy at the Roosevelt Institute.” According to research, Black Americans experience disparate outcomes from their white counterparts during disasters and recovery. “Even when Black residents receive recovery aid, white people who receive the same amount of federal assistance see their wealth rise, while Black residents see their wealth decline following disaster, a study by Rice University found.”