On assignment for the story “Hell and High Water,” in the Marshall Islands.
For much of the world, the catastrophic consequences of climate change are years down the line. But a new class of displaced people, so-called “climate change refugees,” has emerged as some populations find their environments increasingly inhospitable. It’s happening in Bangladesh, where coastal flooding has begun to wipe out entire villages and crops. In the United States, parts of the Louisiana bayou have started to slip beneath the Gulf of Mexico, forcing American communities to relocate to higher ground. But the situation is dire for inhabitants of the Marshall Islands, where moving further inland is not an option. If tides were to rise by the projected levels, living there would resemble being trapped in a narrow room with the walls closing in on both sides. “Hell and High Water” is the latest chapter in our special report on the world’s migrant crisis made in partnership with Magnum Photos. A visit to the island nation which stands to suffer the greatest and most immediate consequences of climate change.
