More black Americans are moving south, changing the demographics of major metropolitan areas and igniting a resurgence of White flight. “White flight” refers to the phenomenon where white residents move out of neighborhoods in response to the inward migration of black residents, regardless of changes in income or home prices. Multiple studies of census data, including notable research by Leah Boustan, an economics professor at Princeton University, find that each arrival of a Black, Afro-Hispanic, or Southeast Asian American leads to the departure of between two and three white Americans. In 2019, the South was the region with the highest share of the country’s Black population, with 56% of this population living there.
In states along the southern coast such as Florida and South Carolina, the risks associated with climate change are particularly high. It is evident that if significant action is not taken to reduce global warming within the next decade, the consequences for life on Earth will be severe. Potential outcomes include mass extinctions, drastic sea level changes, more extreme temperatures, and an increase in catastrophic weather events.
Recent years have seen unprecedented heatwaves occurring worldwide, with temperatures reaching levels that scientists attribute to climate change. Despite the widespread agreement that human activities are primarily responsible for the significant rise in global temperatures, the issue of addressing the causes of climate change remains a contentious one, especially in the United States. One of the outcomes of this is the rise in internal migration.
A study by the Pew Research Center reveals that over 50% of Americans view climate change as a major threat. The U.S. has already witnessed the widespread impact of climate change, including wildfires, stronger hurricanes, and more frequent flooding. Given the vast environmental diversity of the United States, the effects of climate change vary significantly across the country, with some regions facing more severe consequences of global warming than others.
During the 1930s, federal officials designated many neighborhoods in Southern cities like Atlanta, GA, and Richmond, VA, as high-risk areas for investment due to their Black residents. These formerly redlined areas in the South still exhibit stark racial segregation, with 28 out of the 31 largest southern cities showing significant racial stratification, including four cities with at least 100,000 Black residents in their metropolitan areas.
The South is home to nine out of the ten states expected to face the most severe heat-related impacts of climate change, mainly due to their coastal locations. California, located on the West Coast, occupies the tenth position. Among the top ten states, only two landlocked states in the South, Arkansas and Kentucky, are included. The Midwest has also witnessed a rise in temperatures over the past few decades, with the rate of increase accelerating in recent years. Temperature projections indicate a continued rise across the Midwest, particularly in northern regions. Southern states are encountering an increase in hot days, marked by more days exceeding 95°F and fewer days below 65°F, resulting in heightened demand for air conditioning.
Research published by the American Psychological Association indicates that as the black population and other ethnic groups increase in the United States, white Americans tend to relocate when neighborhoods become more diverse. Their fears and stereotypes about other racial and ethnic groups could contribute to the perpetuation of segregation. When combined with the impacts of climate change, this phenomenon could mark the start of a new Southern exodus. The white share of the U.S. population has been dropping, from a little under 89% in 1950 to 59% in 2020. It will likely drop below 50% in another 20 years.
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