John Sutter: Much of this book is about the degree to which humans have bent nature to their will. He says it's true on different scales where sometimes one developer made a really bad decision and then other times, you know, just the cultural history of the United States kind of led us in a bad direction. Are there things that people can do to just will the Phoenix suburbs and agriculture outside of Phoenix to continue to exist? Even if the Colorado River runs dry, like, I mean, maybe not. But are there also examples of just human will being so strong that you make it happen? he asks.
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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