Mexican Climate Refugees?

Future climate change could lead to increased migration of Mexicans into the U.S., according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  The authors—two economists and a geoscientist from Princeton University—show that a future of warmer temperatures and reduced rainfall will lower crop yields in Mexico, providing incentive for Mexican farmers to seek employment north of the border.  The authors demonstrate that a 10% decline in crop yields may lead to the migration of an additional 2% of the Mexican population. Thus, based on future climate projections and their estimated impact on crop yields, an additional 1.4 to 6.7 million adult Mexicans may move into the U.S by 2080.

However, the authors admit that there are other factors confounding human migration patterns, including immigration policies, political conditions, and the availability of jobs.