In an incredible new feature piece, Abraham Lustgarten and ProPublica partnered with The New York Times Magazine to show both the individual and systemic interplays of climate change and migration.

Combining state-of-the-art socioeconomic and climate modeling with personal, on-the-ground photojournalism by Meridth Kohut, the feature tells the story of individuals struggling to survive in Central America as a result of extreme heat and other climatic changes that have devastated small farms, documenting their various efforts to find safety in the United States while adding a sobering look at future possibilities. Because their modeling showed that increases in migration are likely inevitable, wealthy countries like the US have a choice: build walls, or dig wells.

If we choose isolationist and eco-fascist anti-immigration policies symbolized by building walls, Central American suffering will skyrocket. If we choose to invest in sustainable international development projects that protect people from climate impacts, for example by digging wells to prevent droughts from drying out family farms, and otherwise welcome immigrants with open arms and socioeconomic fairness, things turn out much better for everyone.

Finally, of course, if we undertake emissions reductions now, we can avoid a world where nearly a fifth of the planet’s land will be so extremely hot that simply being outside for more than a couple hours becomes lethal. Until we do, every degree of warming pushes another billion people into a climate hotter than anything humanity has experienced in thousands of years.