It’s Too Hot to Incorporate! Climate Change and Immigrant Incorporation in the Valley of the Suns

• In Event: 21064 - Environment, Climate Change, and Mobility

Abstract

The incorporation of immigrants and their children has been a perennial concern for scholars of international migration. Nonetheless, not much has been written about how environmental changes affect incorporation outcomes. This lacunae has been even more pressing as the United States has dealt with increasingly extreme weather. This study looks at how climate change, specifically extreme heat, hurts the incorporation of Vietnamese immigrants and their children in Arizona.

This study is based on over four years of ethnographic observations of a prominent Vietnamese Buddhist youth group in the Phoenix area. The focus on Vietnamese Americans and Arizona provides analytical leverage. Vietnamese Americans are prone to experiencing divergent incorporation outcomes. Some scholars have even suggested the “delinquents or valedictorians” hypothesis. Arizona provides analytical leverage as it not only houses a growing, sizeable Asian population but also deals with historical records of hot weather and droughts.

The first part of my findings points to how using air conditioners to combat extreme heat is costly for this Vietnamese Buddhist youth group in Phoenix. In addition to rising costs, the youth group leaders must change their curriculum to be based exclusively on indoor activities where members do not have to combat the sun. The second part of the findings focuses on the unanticipated consequences of these changes. The heat leads to a “trapping effect” as youth group members cannot move around freely. Eventually, members either come sporadically to night events or not at all due to the “trapping effect.”

These findings affect our research on the nexus between climate change and immigrant incorporation. We can expect extreme weather to warp the physical space available for immigrant incorporation. More specifically, to prevent exposure to extreme weather, immigrant organizations are more likely to limit integration opportunities.

Author

• Andrew N. Le, Arizona State University-Tempe