
State of Disaster
The Failure of U.S. Migration Policy in an Age of Climate Change
Maria Cristina Garcia(Author)
The University of North Carolina Press
Published on 30. September 2022
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-4696-6995-3 (ISBN)
Description
Natural disasters and the dire effects of climate change cause massive population displacements and lead to some of the most intractable political and humanitarian challenges seen today. Yet, as Maria Cristina Garcia observes in this critical history of U.S. policy on migration in the Global South, there is actually no such thing as a "climate refugee" under current U.S. law. Most initiatives intended to assist those who must migrate are flawed and ineffective from inception because they are derived from outmoded policies. In a world of climate change, U.S. refugee policy simply does not work.
Garcia focuses on Central America and the Caribbean, where natural disasters have repeatedly worsened poverty, inequality, and domestic and international political tensions. She explains that the creation of better U.S. policy for those escaping disasters is severely limited by the 1980 Refugee Act, which continues to be applied almost exclusively for reasons of persecution directly related to politics, race, religion, and identity. Garcia contends that the United States must transform its outdated migration policies to address today's realities. Climate change and natural disasters are here to stay, and much of the human devastation left in their wake is essentially a policy choice.
Garcia focuses on Central America and the Caribbean, where natural disasters have repeatedly worsened poverty, inequality, and domestic and international political tensions. She explains that the creation of better U.S. policy for those escaping disasters is severely limited by the 1980 Refugee Act, which continues to be applied almost exclusively for reasons of persecution directly related to politics, race, religion, and identity. Garcia contends that the United States must transform its outdated migration policies to address today's realities. Climate change and natural disasters are here to stay, and much of the human devastation left in their wake is essentially a policy choice.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chapel Hill
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth
Illustrations
8 illustrations, 3 maps
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
596 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4696-6995-3 (9781469669953)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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Additional editions

Maria Cristina Garcia
State of Disaster
The Failure of U.S. Migration Policy in an Age of Climate Change
E-Book
08/2022
The University of North Carolina Press
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Maria Cristina Garcia is Howard A. Newman Professor of American Studies and professor of history at Cornell University. Her most recent book is The Refugee Challenge in Post-Cold War America.