On Friday, February 16, Mathew Hauer, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Center for Demography and Population Health and Associate Professor of Sociology, guest lectured at Westminster Oaks. Dr. Hauer discussed potential climate migration and the effects it could have on coastal populations.
Westminster Oaks, a community in Tallahassee, brings in guest lecturers to speak to the residents. The guest lectures are aimed at helping the residents grow and be life-long learners.
Dr. Hauer’s lecture was based in part on a research article he published in January of 2024. The article, titled “Climate migration amplifies demographic change and population aging,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Dr. Hauer’s findings show that indirect processes could create 5.3 to 18 times the number of climate migrants as those directly displaced by rising seas.
This topic is particularly relevant to older populations, as Dr. Hauer notes “older populations are the least likely to migrate, and climate migration could accelerate population aging in origin areas.” The study predicted that as “youthful populations migrate but older populations remain” aging of coastal areas may occur.
For more information about this research project, click here. For more information about Dr. Hauer, click here.