Special Issue: Climate Change and Migration
The Migration Information Source is devoting a special series of articles to addressing how a changing climate is affecting international and internal migration now and what its effects might be in the future.
The impact of climate change on human movement across the globe is likely to be profound—though perhaps in significantly different ways than are perceived today. This Special Issue, with articles from leading scholars, examines the connection between climate change and migration through historical, scientific, and legal overviews, on a global scale and in individual countries. The Special Issue is accompanied by a podcast, Changing Climate, Changing Migration, hosted by Migration Information Source Editor Julian Hattem, which you can find on this website or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
From Temporary Climate-Induced Displacement to Permanent Urban Settlement in Pakistan
Pakistan's climate disasters have driven permanent urban resettlement to Karachi, rather than mass cross-border migration.
“Climate Refugees” Do Not Exist as a Concept—But Countries Are Testing New Approaches to Offer Protection
International law does not recognize refugee status for people displaced by the impacts of climate change. But a series of national policy…
Gender and Food Security: How Displacement Can Disrupt Traditional Roles in Agriculture-Dependent Communities
Displacement in Zimbabwe and Mozambique is reshaping gender roles around food, creating new burdens and risks for women.
Climate Displacement Can Permanently Hamper Children’s Education and Imperil Future Prospects
Climate displacement is derailing education for millions of children worldwide, with lasting consequences for poverty and resilience.
Adaptation Efforts May Reduce Harms amid Significant Climate-Linked Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa
Climate change is driving displacement across sub-Saharan Africa, but targeted adaptation strategies and community-led approaches offer proven ways…
Climate Change in Bangladesh Shapes Internal Migration and Movement to India
Climate change is likely intensifying migration from Bangladesh to India, but some migrants face mounting legal and social barriers amid India's…
Iran Faces Dwindling Water and Escalating Climate Pressures, Aggravating Displacement Threats
Iran's worsening water crisis and climate extremes are fueling internal displacement and emigration, while sanctions prevent adaptation efforts…
Climate Migration 101: An Explainer
Climate change is reshaping migration globally—but most displacement remains internal and temporary, and no international legal framework protects…
Where Are All the Climate Migrants? Explaining Immobility amid Environmental Change
Climate policy rarely addresses people who cannot leave, yet "trapped” populations face the gravest risks from climate change. Giving people the…
Who Counts as a Climate Migrant?
"Climate migrant" is a legally meaningless term and estimates of those forced to move due to climate range dramatically. Also, those most…
Efforts to Manage Climate Migration Are Slowly Growing, but Their Focus Is Often Indirect
Development organizations are slowly building a field around climate mobility, but with only 54 projects mapped worldwide and scant evaluations,…
Discovery of Oil Could Bring Migrant Labor Opportunities and Climate Displacement Challenges for Guyana
Guyana's oil boom is driving growth and demand for immigrant talent in a country with a large emigrant population. But climate displacement is…
Climate Change Compounds Longstanding Displacement in Afghanistan
Decades of conflict and deepening climate shocks are compounding displacement in Afghanistan, with little policy capacity to respond.
Climate Extremes, Food Insecurity, and Migration in Central America: A Complicated Nexus
Drought and flooding are pushing Central American farmers to migrate, but targeted climate services paired with financial aid could help them adapt…
Building Climate Resilience through Migration in Thailand
Migration can build climate resilience in Thailand's vulnerable farming communities, but only under the right conditions.
In Relatively Peaceful Tanzania, Climate Change and Migration Can Spur Conflict
In Tanzania, climate-driven migration is deepening farmer-pastoralist conflicts, but inclusive land-use planning and early-warning systems can reduce…
Climate Impacts as Drivers of Migration
Climate change is already driving migration—mostly within countries’ borders. But evidence shows it compounds other factors rather than acting alone.
Climate Change, Displacement, and Managed Retreat in Coastal India
India's 170 million coastal residents face increasing displacement from sea-level rise and erosion, yet national policy lags far behind.
