The Eaton and Pacific Palisade fires — currently ablaze in Los Angeles, CA — are set to be some of the most disastrous fires in California state history, respectively ranking as the second and third most destructive wildfires as of Jan. 24, according to a report released by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Collectively, these fires have damaged 37,469 acres of land and 16,227 structures, according to the CDFF report. As neighborhoods are destroyed, thousands of people are left without homes, underscoring the growing concern surrounding “climate refugees.”

This phrase refers to any person who is displaced from their home as a result of climate change, whether this be within their own country or internationally, teaching professor and Director of the Global Legal Studies Center Sumudu Atapattu said.

Importantly, “climate refugee” is not a legal definition and thus does not afford a person the same legal protections granted to those who are considered refugees under international law, Atapattu said. Due to the lack of a legal definition, the phrase “climate refugees” is the subject of debate about the mortality of its usage, according to Earth.Org.

Moreover, those who have a higher likelihood of being subjected to climate disasters will not feel the effects evenly. Instead, historically marginalized groups — such as minorities, people experiencing poverty, LGBTQIA+ individuals, women, etc. — will be disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change due to the historical patterns that have restricted these individuals’ rights, Atapattu said.

“We need to take these historic patterns into account, especially colonialism when we are discussing climate change because not everyone will be affected to the same extent,” Atapattu said.

While people may move for any reason, there is a growing number of people at risk of displacement across the world — it is estimated that 1.2 billion people are threatened due to climate disasters, according to The Alliance for Citizen Engagement.

Climate change has exacerbated the severity and frequency of climate disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, cyclones, droughts and floods, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Climate migration has been underway not only within the U.S. but globally, with an expected increase of people displaced due to these disasters. By 2050, between 44 million and 216 million people are estimated to migrate within their countries as a result of climate change, according to The World Bank. In the U.S., this migration has already been impacting Wisconsin, Atapattu said, which brings into question how people will acclimate to such change.

“People are already moving to Wisconsin or the Midwest because of climate change,” Atapattu said. “This is something that we need to think about … How do we make them [climate refugees] adapt to a much colder climate — the clothing, housing, heating. These are some of the things that people are not used to. Also, [their] livelihoods, their jobs might be different.”

Due to its abundance of water and cool climate, Wisconsin has been deemed a “climate haven” — an area that is considered to be less affected by climate change, according to UW’s Nelson’s Institute for Environmental Studies. Furthermore, Wisconsin may be seen as a desirable location because of the lack of environmental challenges it faces — such as hurricanes and sea level rise, Director of the State Climatology Office Steve Vavrus said.

But, Wisconsin’s weather challenges should not be taken lightly when considering its role as a potential climate haven, Vavrus said. Specifically, heavy precipitation and high temperatures have been significantly affecting Wisconsin’s climate in recent decades, Vavrus said.

“Those [heavy rainfall and high temperatures] are risks, challenges — they’re not just anticipated for the future,” Vavrus said. “Already communities in Wisconsin are having to deal with how to manage those changes, so those are two of the highest probability risks for climate change in the future.”

For instance, the average annual precipitation over the past 50 years has increased by 5% in most of the Midwest and rainfall has increased by approximately 35% during the four wettest days of the year, according to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Regarding Wisconsin’s heat levels, the projected increase in temperature may contribute to an increase in the formation of ground-level ozone, which is linked to lung and heart problems, according to the report. Furthermore, higher temperatures put people at risk for heat strokes and dehydration, effectively impacting an individual’s cardiovascular and nervous systems.

While Wisconsin may be perceived as a location safe from weather disasters, its climate is still contingent on the influence of climate change. Wisconsin’s increased precipitation and high temperatures raise its chances of climate disasters like floods and heat waves. Despite this, an increase in the state’s population due to climate migration is still a possibility.

“Is it a good idea for Wisconsin communities to be planning what would happen, how they would handle a big influx in population if we were to see it,” Vavrus said. “It may not come to pass, but even if it doesn’t, it’s good to have a plan in place — just the basic question ‘if our population went up by 20% in the next decade, how could we handle it?’”

Along with environmental devastation, climate disasters may have impacts beyond climate migration. Even if climate disasters were to occur in distant areas of the country, the effects would still be felt in the state because of how interconnected the economy is, Vavrus said. Factors like housing, insurance and supply chains are inextricably linked, so a climate disaster in any part of the country or world could have direct effects on Wisconsin — this is exemplified by the economic pressure the Eaton and Pacific Palisade fires have placed on the U.S.

But, an increase in migration may also be advantageous for Wisconsin. On a wider scale, the U.S. has depended on migrant labor, especially in terms of agriculture, Atapattu said. Considering that approximately 70% of Wisconsin’s dairy farm workforce is comprised of workers from Mexico and other Latin American countries, the same may be true for the state, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. Moreover, migrant workers also bring about an influx of skilled labor, effectively enhancing the state’s industries, Atapattu said.

“… We can definitely benefit from them [migrant workers], but we also need to see how we can be more welcoming,” Atapattu said. “How we can facilitate their integration into our society. So, there are big questions for us to answer as a community.”

Currently, the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts — co-directed by Vavrus — works to predict and understand the effects of climate change on the state, according to their website. Operating as a collaboration of scientists and stakeholders, WICCI works toward developing solutions to the problems posed by climate change, Vavrus said.