The Next Great Migration

"A refreshing . . .  provocative invitation to imagine the inevitable migration of the future as an opportunity rather than a threat." —TheWashington Post

The news is full of stories of dislocated people on the move. Wild species, too, are escaping warming seas and desiccated lands. News media presents this scrambling of the planet's migration patterns as unprecedented, provoking fears of the spread of disease and conflict and waves of anxiety across the Western world.

On both sides of the Atlantic, experts issue alarmed predictions and countries respond by electing anti-immigration leaders who slam closed borders that were historically porous.

But the science and history of migration in animals, plants, and humans tell a different story. Unhampered, migration catapulted us to the heights of the Himalayas and the isles of the Pacific. Climate changes triggered the first human migrations out of Africa. Falling sea levels allowed our passage across the Bering Sea. Far from being disruptive, migration is an ancient and lifesaving response to environmental change. Migration is not the crisis: it is the solution.

Conclusively tracking the history of misinformation from the 18th century through today's anti-immigration policies, The Next Great Migration makes the case for a future in which migration is not a source of fear, but of hope.

"With compassion and insight. . . . [Shah's] work addresses issues of fundamental importance to the survival and well-being of us all." —TheNew York Times Book Review

"Dazzlingly original . . . At a moment when migrants face walls of hatred, this is a story threaded with joy and inspiration." —Naomi Klein, author of On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal