This map was produced by the United Nations Environmental Program and shows the prevalence of soil degradation around the world. According to a recent IPBES report, soil degradation threatens the well-being of almost half of the worlds population and up to 700 million people may be displaced by mid-century.
Currently "environmental refugees" (those displaced by environmental causes such as soil degradation) are not recognized under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and, thus, do not have legal status or protections. Instead of receiving international assistance and resettlement, these refugees are left to fend for themselves and often flock to cities and urban slums.
The majority of migrants will be agriculturalists from developing regions. In the National Geographic series Years of Living Dangerously, Thomas Friedman visits the African Sahel, home to possibly the most vulnerable region.