COMMUNITY RELOCATION IN CLIMATE EXTREMES
It is estimated that there are already 14 million climate refugees in the world, people who have moved to new cities or countries as individuals or families because of job loss, famine, and other climate extremes.
There is an urgent need for coastal and low-lying islands to move whole communities in the next few years. Responding to this urgent need, The BRACE Institute, a project of Heartlands International in partnership with Illinois State University in Normal (ISU), is a multi-disciplinary and global support center for communities that need to relocate due to climate change.
BRACE works with partners in the business and labor sectors for technical assistance and job training. We are initially targeting low-lying islands in the U.S. and Pacific Islands as they are in the most urgent need for relocation.
URGENCY
BRACE was created in response to the needs of low-income and marginal communities that are at immediate risk of being inundated. We target communities that need to relocate in the next five to ten years.
DIVERSITY
Rising sea levels disproportionately affect the poor and tribal people who live on islands and low-lying atolls. BRACE works with people and communities around the world. Heartlands, BRACE's corporate partner, has experience in over 70 countries worldwide. Learn more about Heartlands at www.heartlands.us.