TEDWomen 2019
Colette Pichon Battle: Climate change will displace millions. Here's how we prepare
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Scientists predict climate change will displace more than 180 million people by 2100 -- a crisis of "climate migration" the world isn't ready for, says disaster recovery lawyer and Louisiana native Colette Pichon Battle. In this passionate, lyrical talk, she urges us to radically restructure the economic and social systems that are driving climate migration -- and caused it in the first place -- and shares how we can cultivate collective resilience, better prepare before disaster strikes and advance human rights for all.
Colette Pichon Battle - Climate justice and human rights lawyer
A Louisiana native with a deep connection to things that burrow in the mud, Colette Pichon Battle fights to advance human rights for communities on the frontline of the struggle against climate change. Full bio
A Louisiana native with a deep connection to things that burrow in the mud, Colette Pichon Battle fights to advance human rights for communities on the frontline of the struggle against climate change. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
It was about two years
after Hurricane Katrina
after Hurricane Katrina
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that I first saw the Louisiana flood maps.
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These flood maps are used
to show land loss in the past
to show land loss in the past
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and land loss that is to come.
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On this particular day,
at a community meeting,
at a community meeting,
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these maps were used to explain
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how a 30-foot tidal surge
that accompanied Hurricane Katrina
that accompanied Hurricane Katrina
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could flood communities like mine
in south Louisiana
in south Louisiana
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and communities across
the Mississippi and Alabama coast.
the Mississippi and Alabama coast.
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It turns out that the land we were losing
was our buffer from the sea.
was our buffer from the sea.
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I volunteered to interact
with the graphics on the wall,
with the graphics on the wall,
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and in an instant my life changed
for the second time in two years.
for the second time in two years.
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The graphic showed
massive land loss in south Louisiana
massive land loss in south Louisiana
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and an encroaching sea,
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but more specifically, the graphic showed
the disappearance of my community
the disappearance of my community
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and many other communities
before the end of the century.
before the end of the century.
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I wasn't alone at the front of the room.
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I was standing there with other members
of south Louisiana's communities --
of south Louisiana's communities --
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black, Native, poor.
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We thought we were just bound
by temporary disaster recovery,
by temporary disaster recovery,
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but we found that we were now bound
by the impossible task
by the impossible task
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of ensuring that our communities
would not be erased by sea level rise
would not be erased by sea level rise
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due to climate change.
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Friends, neighbors, family, my community:
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I just assumed it would always be there.
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Land, trees, marsh, bayous:
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I just assumed that it would be there
as it had been for thousands of years.
as it had been for thousands of years.
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I was wrong.
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To understand what was happening
to my community,
to my community,
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I had to talk to other communities
around the globe.
around the globe.
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I started in south Louisiana
with the United Houma Nation.
with the United Houma Nation.
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I talked to youth advocates
in Shishmaref, Alaska.
in Shishmaref, Alaska.
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I talked to fisherwomen
in coastal Vietnam,
in coastal Vietnam,
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justice fighters in Fiji,
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new generations of leaders
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in the ancient cultures
of the Torres Straits.
of the Torres Straits.
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Communities that had been here
for thousands of years
for thousands of years
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were suffering the same fate,
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and we were all contemplating
how we would survive the next 50.
how we would survive the next 50.
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By the end of the next century,
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it's predicted that
more than 180 million people
more than 180 million people
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will be displaced due to climate change,
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and in south Louisiana,
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those who can afford to do so
are already moving.
are already moving.
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They're moving because
south Louisiana is losing land
south Louisiana is losing land
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at one of the fastest rates on the planet.
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Disappearance is what my bayou community
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has in common with
other coastal communities.
other coastal communities.
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Erasure is what communities
around the globe are fighting
around the globe are fighting
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as we get real about
the impacts of climate change.
the impacts of climate change.
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I've spent the last 14 years
advocating on behalf of communities
advocating on behalf of communities
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that have been directly impacted
by the climate crisis.
by the climate crisis.
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These communities
are fighting discrimination
are fighting discrimination
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within climate disaster recovery,
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and they're also trying to balance
mass displacement of people
mass displacement of people
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with an influx of others
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who see opportunity in starting anew.
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Since 2005, people
have been called "refugees"
have been called "refugees"
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when they leave when they're displaced
by climate disaster,
by climate disaster,
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even when they don't cross
international borders.
international borders.
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These terms, these misused terms,
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that are meant to identify the other,
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the victim,
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the person who is not supposed to be here,
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these terms are barriers
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to economic recovery,
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to social integration
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and to the healing required from
the climate crisis and climate trauma.
the climate crisis and climate trauma.
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Words matter.
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It also matters how we treat
people who are crossing borders.
people who are crossing borders.
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We should care about how people
who are crossing borders today
who are crossing borders today
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to seek refuge and safety
are being treated,
are being treated,
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if for no other reason than it might
be you or someone you love
be you or someone you love
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who needs to exercise
their human right to migrate
their human right to migrate
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in the nearby future.
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We must start preparing
for global migration today.
for global migration today.
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It's a reality now.
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Our cities and our communities
are not prepared.
are not prepared.
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In fact, our economic system
and our social systems
and our social systems
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are only prepared to make profit
off of people who migrate.
off of people who migrate.
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This will cause rounds
of climate gentrification,
of climate gentrification,
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and it will also penalize
the movement of people,
the movement of people,
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usually through exploited labor
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and usually through criminalization.
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Climate gentrification that happens
in anticipation of sea level rise
in anticipation of sea level rise
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is what we're seeing in places like Miami,
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where communities
that were kept from the waterfront
that were kept from the waterfront
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are now being priced out
of the high ground
of the high ground
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where they were placed originally
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as people move away from the coast.
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These folks are being moved,
forced to relocate away
forced to relocate away
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from the social and economic systems
that they need to survive.
that they need to survive.
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Climate gentrification also happens
in the aftermath of climate disaster.
in the aftermath of climate disaster.
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When massive amounts
of people leave a location
of people leave a location
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for an indefinite amount of time,
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we see others come in.
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We also see climate gentrification happen
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when damaged homes are now "green built,"
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but now have a higher value,
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generally outside of the reach
of black and brown and poor people
of black and brown and poor people
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who want to return home.
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The price difference in rents
or the ownership of a house
or the ownership of a house
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is the difference between
being able to practice your right,
being able to practice your right,
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your human right
to return home as a community,
to return home as a community,
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or be forced to resettle somewhere else
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less climate resilient,
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less expensive
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and alone.
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The climate crisis
is a much larger conversation
is a much larger conversation
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than reducing CO2 emissions,
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and it is a much different conversation
than just extreme weather.
than just extreme weather.
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We're facing a shift
in every aspect of our global reality.
in every aspect of our global reality.
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And climate migration
is just one small part,
is just one small part,
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but it's going to have ripple effects
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in both coastal cities
and cities in the interior.
and cities in the interior.
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So what do we do?
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I have a few ideas.
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(Laughter)
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First, we must reframe
our understanding of the problem.
our understanding of the problem.
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Climate change is not the problem.
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Climate change
is the most horrible symptom
is the most horrible symptom
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of an economic system
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that has been built for a few
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to extract every precious value
out of this planet and its people,
out of this planet and its people,
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from our natural resources
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to the fruits of our human labor.
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This system has created this crisis.
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(Applause)
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We must have the courage
to admit we've taken too much.
to admit we've taken too much.
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We cannot close our eyes to the fact
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that the entire world is paying a price
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for the privilege and comfort
of just a few people on the planet.
of just a few people on the planet.
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It's time for us to make
society-wide changes
society-wide changes
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to a system that incentivizes consumption
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to the point of global imbalance.
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Our social, political and economic
systems of extraction
systems of extraction
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must be transformed into systems
that regenerate the earth
that regenerate the earth
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and advance human liberty globally.
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It is arrogance to think
that technology will save us.
that technology will save us.
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It is ego to think that we can continue
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this unjust and extractive approach
to living on this planet
to living on this planet
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and survive.
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(Applause)
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To survive this next phase
of our human existence,
of our human existence,
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we will need to restructure
our social and economic systems
our social and economic systems
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to develop our collective resilience.
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The social restructuring must be
towards restoration and repair
towards restoration and repair
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of the earth
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and the communities
that have been extracted from,
that have been extracted from,
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criminalized
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and targeted for generations.
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These are the frontlines.
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This is where we start.
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We must establish a new social attitude
to see migration as a benefit,
to see migration as a benefit,
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a necessity for our global survival,
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not as a threat
to our individual privilege.
to our individual privilege.
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Collective resilience means developing
cities that can receive people
cities that can receive people
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and provide housing,
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food, water, health care
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and the freedom from overpolicing
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for everyone,
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no matter who they are,
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no matter where they're from.
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What would it mean if we started
to plan for climate migration now?
to plan for climate migration now?
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Sprawling cities or declining cities
could see this as an opportunity
could see this as an opportunity
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to rebuild a social infrastructure
rooted in justice and fairness.
rooted in justice and fairness.
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We could actually put money
into public hospitals
into public hospitals
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and help them prepare
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for what is to come
through climate migration,
through climate migration,
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including the trauma
that comes with loss and relocation.
that comes with loss and relocation.
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We can invest more of our time in justice,
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but it cannot be for temporary gain,
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it cannot be to help budget shortfalls,
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it has to be for long-term change
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and it has to be to advance justice.
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It's already possible, y'all.
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After Hurricane Katrina,
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universities and high schools
around the US took in students
around the US took in students
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to help them finish their semester
or their year without missing a beat.
or their year without missing a beat.
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Those students are now
productive assets in our community,
productive assets in our community,
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and this is what our communities,
our businesses and our institutions
our businesses and our institutions
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need to get ready for now.
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The time is now.
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So as we reframe the problem
in a more truthful way
in a more truthful way
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and we restructure our social systems
in a more just way,
in a more just way,
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all that will be left is for us
to reindigenize ourselves
to reindigenize ourselves
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and to conjure a power
of the most ancient kind.
of the most ancient kind.
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This necessarily means
that we must learn to follow --
that we must learn to follow --
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not tokenize, not exotify, not dismiss --
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the leadership and
the traditional knowledge
the traditional knowledge
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of a particular local place.
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It means that we must commit
to standards of ecological equity
to standards of ecological equity
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and climate justice and human rights
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as the basis, a base standard,
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a starting point,
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for where our new society is to go.
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All of this requires us to recognize
a power greater than ourselves
a power greater than ourselves
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and a life longer
than the ones we will live.
than the ones we will live.
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It requires us to believe in the things
that we are privileged enough
that we are privileged enough
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not to have to see.
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We must honor the rights of nature.
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We must advance human rights for all.
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We must transform from a disposable,
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individual society
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into one that sees our collective,
long-term humanity,
long-term humanity,
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or else we will not make it.
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We must see that even the best of us
are entangled in an unjust system,
are entangled in an unjust system,
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and we must acknowledge
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that the only way you're going to survive
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is for us to figure out
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how to reach a shared liberation together.
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The good news is
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we come from powerful people.
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We come from those who have,
in one way or another,
in one way or another,
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survived so far to be us here today.
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This is reason enough to fight.
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And take it from
your south Louisiana friend,
your south Louisiana friend,
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those hardest fights
are the ones to celebrate.
are the ones to celebrate.
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Let's choose to make this next phase
of our planetary existence beautiful,
of our planetary existence beautiful,
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and while we're at it,
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let's make it just and fair for everyone.
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We can do this, y'all.
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We can do this,
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because we must.
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We must, or else we lose our planet
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and we lose ourselves.
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The work starts here.
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The work starts together.
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This is my offering.
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Thank you for receiving it. Merci.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Colette Pichon Battle - Climate justice and human rights lawyerA Louisiana native with a deep connection to things that burrow in the mud, Colette Pichon Battle fights to advance human rights for communities on the frontline of the struggle against climate change.
Why you should listen
As the founder of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy, Colette Pichon Battle raises awareness on equitable disaster recovery, migration, economic development, climate justice and energy democracy. Working with elected officials, national funders and frontline communities since 2005, Pichon Battle works to advance equitable recovery from climate disasters ranging from hurricanes to oil drilling disasters.
In addition to developing advocacy initiatives that intersect race, systems of power and ecology, Pichon Battle manages GCCLP's legal services for immigration law and disaster law. She was named an Echoing Green Climate fellow in 2015 and in 2019 was named an Obama Fellow for her work with Black and Native communities on the frontline of climate change.
Colette Pichon Battle | Speaker | TED.com