Climate Conference 2023
Climate Refugees: Human Migration in the Era of Climate Change
The 2023 Climate Change Conference
From floods to wildfires to droughts, climate change increasingly drives extreme weather events that force people from their homes, adding to the growing number of displaced people worldwide. On March 16, the Loyola University Chicago Climate Change Conference will explore how climate-driven migration will impact communities globally and locally. Speakers will discuss efforts to develop just and equitable solutions to the climate crisis and provide care and services for displaced people.
In 2019, floods impacted more than 600,000 people in South Sudan. (Photo by Jesuit Refugee Service)
The conference will offer insights into an urgent global problem. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that sudden weather-related hazards already displace an average of 21.5 million people annually, and thousands more leave their homes to escape slower-moving disasters such as drought. These numbers will likely increase as the climate crisis intensifies, causing more people to migrate within countries and across international borders.
Climate change also has the potential to exacerbate refugee crises driven by factors such as conflict or persecution while making life harder for displaced people. A UNHCR report stated that “95 percent of all conflict displacements in 2020 occurred in countries vulnerable or highly vulnerable to climate change.” The report noted, “Learning how to address these overlapping crises will be one of the big humanitarian challenges in the years to come.”
Inspired by Loyola’s enduring Jesuit values of service to humanity and care for our world, the Loyola conference will highlight links between climate change, human migration, and social justice. The School of Environmental Sustainability will host the conference in partnership with other Loyola University departments and programs. SES is collaborating with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to incorporate the event into the CAS Interdisciplinary Lecture Series on migration.
Meet the Panelists
The conference will include a presentation by keynote speaker Michael Nash and a panel discussion. Participants will hear from the following expert panelists.
Yves Umuhoza
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer at AEI, Climate and Refugee Education Advocate
Yves Umuhoza is a Burundian refugee and climate and refugee education advocate. He founded Assorted Energies International (AEI), a refugee-led solar energy organization that received funding from the Global Refugee Youth Network. The group has installed solar panels and held training sessions at Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe. Umuhoza will share his experience working to promote climate action and improve the lives of refugees.
Shelly Culbertson
Associate Director, Disaster Management and Resilience Program, the RAND Corporation
Shelly Culbertson is the associate director of the Disaster Management and Resilience Program at the RAND Corporation. She focuses on disaster and post-conflict recovery, forced displacement, international development, and education. She co-leads RAND’s Mass Migration Strategy Group and has led multiple studies about refugees. Culbertson will discuss the policy implications of large-scale climate-driven migration.
Fr. Tom Smolich, SJ
International Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service
Father Thomas H. Smolich, SJ, is the international director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS.) His priestly ministry has focused on community development. Previously, he served as the president of the Jesuit Conference of the United States, coordinating the national and international projects of the USA Jesuit provinces. He also worked with JRS in Masisi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Fr. Smolich will discuss the Jesuit response to climate-driven migration and the work of the JRS.
Steve Bynum
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion manager for Chicago Public Media
Steve Bynum will moderate the panel discussion. Bynum is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion manager for Chicago Public Media, the parent company of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was a senior producer for over 20 years for WBEZ’s “Worldview with Jerome McDonnell” and “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons.” For “Worldview,” Bynum created in-depth stories, features, series, film projects, and outreach events that connected listeners to communities in Chicago and worldwide. Sustainability and environmental justice were cornerstones of Worldview’s coverage. Bynum believes global citizenship is the most powerful tool to deconstruct systemic injustices, especially environmental racism.
Learn More and Register
Learn more about the panelists on the conference webpage, and check back soon for an announcement about the keynote speaker.
Conference participants can join the event in person or view presentations online through a live stream. The in-person event will take place on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus in the Damen Student Center, with a networking reception and refreshments to follow the formal presentation. For more details and to register, go to www.luc.edu/climate.
Climate Refugees: Human Migration in the Era of Climate Change
The 2023 Climate Change Conference
From floods to wildfires to droughts, climate change increasingly drives extreme weather events that force people from their homes, adding to the growing number of displaced people worldwide. On March 16, the Loyola University Chicago Climate Change Conference will explore how climate-driven migration will impact communities globally and locally. Speakers will discuss efforts to develop just and equitable solutions to the climate crisis and provide care and services for displaced people.
The conference will offer insights into an urgent global problem. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that sudden weather-related hazards already displace an average of 21.5 million people annually, and thousands more leave their homes to escape slower-moving disasters such as drought. These numbers will likely increase as the climate crisis intensifies, causing more people to migrate within countries and across international borders.
Climate change also has the potential to exacerbate refugee crises driven by factors such as conflict or persecution while making life harder for displaced people. A UNHCR report stated that “95 percent of all conflict displacements in 2020 occurred in countries vulnerable or highly vulnerable to climate change.” The report noted, “Learning how to address these overlapping crises will be one of the big humanitarian challenges in the years to come.”
Inspired by Loyola’s enduring Jesuit values of service to humanity and care for our world, the Loyola conference will highlight links between climate change, human migration, and social justice. The School of Environmental Sustainability will host the conference in partnership with other Loyola University departments and programs. SES is collaborating with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to incorporate the event into the CAS Interdisciplinary Lecture Series on migration.
Meet the Panelists
The conference will include a presentation by keynote speaker Michael Nash and a panel discussion. Participants will hear from the following expert panelists.
Yves Umuhoza is a Burundian refugee and climate and refugee education advocate. He founded Assorted Energies International (AEI), a refugee-led solar energy organization that received funding from the Global Refugee Youth Network. The group has installed solar panels and held training sessions at Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe. Umuhoza will share his experience working to promote climate action and improve the lives of refugees.
Shelly Culbertson is the associate director of the Disaster Management and Resilience Program at the RAND Corporation. She focuses on disaster and post-conflict recovery, forced displacement, international development, and education. She co-leads RAND’s Mass Migration Strategy Group and has led multiple studies about refugees. Culbertson will discuss the policy implications of large-scale climate-driven migration.
Father Thomas H. Smolich, SJ, is the international director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS.) His priestly ministry has focused on community development. Previously, he served as the president of the Jesuit Conference of the United States, coordinating the national and international projects of the USA Jesuit provinces. He also worked with JRS in Masisi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Fr. Smolich will discuss the Jesuit response to climate-driven migration and the work of the JRS.
Steve Bynum will moderate the panel discussion. Bynum is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion manager for Chicago Public Media, the parent company of WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times. He was a senior producer for over 20 years for WBEZ’s “Worldview with Jerome McDonnell” and “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons.” For “Worldview,” Bynum created in-depth stories, features, series, film projects, and outreach events that connected listeners to communities in Chicago and worldwide. Sustainability and environmental justice were cornerstones of Worldview’s coverage. Bynum believes global citizenship is the most powerful tool to deconstruct systemic injustices, especially environmental racism.
Learn More and Register
Learn more about the panelists on the conference webpage, and check back soon for an announcement about the keynote speaker.
Conference participants can join the event in person or view presentations online through a live stream. The in-person event will take place on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus in the Damen Student Center, with a networking reception and refreshments to follow the formal presentation. For more details and to register, go to www.luc.edu/climate.