The Great Displacement

The Great Displacement by Jake Bittle provides a profound exploration into the pressing reality of climate-induced migration within the United States. Through a tapestry of personal stories and community profiles, the book delves deeply into the turmoil faced by individuals uprooted due to environmental catastrophes. From the picturesque yet perilous regions of Louisiana engulfed by water to the scorched terrains of California, Bittle paints a stark, compassionate portrait of lives disrupted and communities torn apart.

Shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence, this book stands as a powerful witness to the ongoing and future impacts of climate change on American life. While many conceive of climate change as a distant threat, Bittle brings to the forefront the immediate, tangible consequences already unfolding across the country. With a national scope, The Great Displacement illuminates the systemic issues driving this mass movement of people, revealing how insurance markets, federal policies, and socio-economic factors are intertwining with environmental changes to reshape human geography.

The book offers an “empathetic and far-sighted” approach, as noted by Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Under a White Sky. It brings to light not only the harrowing experiences of those directly affected but also the broader implications for society as a whole. The narrative traverses the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona, the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, and many other regions, exemplifying the variety and ubiquity of climate impacts. Over recent decades, many families have been relocated from flood zones by the federal government, while countless others have chosen or been compelled to move due to natural calamities.

David Wallace-Wells, a bestselling author from the New York Times, describes The Great Displacement as “a vivid tour of the new human geography just coming into view.” It’s a prediction as much as a reportage: Bittle forecasts that in the next fifty years, the largest migration within the nation’s history will occur, with millions of Americans being forced inland and northward.

Jake Bittle’s work stands out for its narrative richness and humane touch. He unpicks the multifaceted ways climate change will reconfigure our world—obliterating historical towns and villages, transforming landscapes, and pushing people toward unfamiliar areas. By accentuating the humanity amidst the crisis, Bittle crafts a narrative that is both urgent and accessible, offering an essential account of the coming era of displacement. For anyone looking to understand the intimate and extensive impact of climate change, The Great Displacement is a crucial read.