How many Americans do we expect to be living in places that they can't live by the end of the century? It's hard to say with absolute certainty, but you can kind of get a sense if you look at recent statistics from the past few years. Most people probably will remain where they are because they're a few miles inland or they're outside the most dangerous zone for fire and have enough money to buy air conditioners.
For decades, Americans have been moving South and West. That migration pattern was visible in political terms when seven congressional districts moved between states after the 2020 census, and it continues to be visible in the booming construction and job markets in cities across the Sun Belt.
In this installment of the podcast, Galen speaks with author Jake Bittle, who argues that it’s only a matter of time before those trends reverse, or at least shift. However, as he writes in his new book, "The Great Displacement," this time it won’t be cheap housing, low taxes and plentiful jobs that attract people to new places. It will be a harshening climate that pushes them away.
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