LinkedIn News: 24 Big Ideas that will change our world in 2021

I was honored to be included in LinkedIn’s roundup of the most important ideas that will shape 2021. My focus was on climate migration – the subject of NewCities’ inaugural Higher Ground event at the beginning of December:

Over the past year, the world has been fixated on the pandemic and its effects on our lives, and for good reason. But an even bigger threat could change the way we live in a less rapid but more permanent way: climate change. Global warming has already forced an estimated 20 million people to flee their homes every year. Rising temperatures combined with population growth means three billion people – one third of the projected global population – could be living in “unlivable” conditions by 2070. The inevitable result will be mass migration to “climate havens”, or cities sheltered from extreme weather with the capacity to grow. Preparing for this future can no longer be put off, and heads of state, members of the scientific community, the private sector, NGOs and youth groups will meet to discuss the issue at the world’s first Climate Adaptation Summit in January 2021. As cities around the globe develop climate action plans, expect to see more zero-carbon housing projects and green belts replacing asphalt. “The questions we should be asking is how to protect the most vulnerable residents,” says Greg Lindsay, director of applied research at nonprofit NewCities Foundation. “How to develop new carrot-and-stick approaches to steer people away from the highest-risk areas.”