As climate change progresses, it will force parts of the world’s population, particularly in the developing world, to move or be unable to leave. Farmers, for example, may find themselves both unable to grow crops on salt-infused soil and trapped in place due to a lack of capital.

That’s the topic that Mia McElhatton, a fourth-year philosophy major from Philadelphia, is exploring in her research with an undergraduate research grant from the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy, supported by the Association of Alumnae Rosemary D. Mazzatenta Scholars Award.

She is examining both mobility and immobility, which are core to understanding the effects of climate change. “Climate-induced mobility can represent a distinct harm,” she says. Read more about McElhatton's work within Penn Today.