Global human migration has historically been driven by factors such as political conflict, divergent demographic trends, and income inequality. But it is increasingly demonstrated that The impact of climate change is pushing more people to settle elsewhere, become another driver of migration, both within and between different borders.
The effects of the climate crisis do not affect all populations in the same way. According to recent studies, It is the poorest communities that are most exposed to risks (such as floods or droughts) and therefore those who are forced to leave their homes.
What is climate migration?
In 2019, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) included a new term in its glossary to define relationship between climate and human migration: climate migration. This is the displacement of a person or groups of people who, motivated by reasons of sudden or gradual change in the environment due to climate change, are forced to leave their place of residence, temporarily or permanently.
In the current context, Climatic migrations are considered forced population movements. Often the effects of droughts that destroy crops, fresh water shortages due to saline intrusion from sea level rise, and climatic events such as cyclones force families to relocate to other more prosperous places to work and survive.
Sometimes it is displacements or relocations (planned or not) of entire communities, as happens in Alaska, in small Pacific islands, such as Fiji, or in the Caribbean Sea, for example in Panama.
The effects of the climate crisis and human migration
Climatic migrations are a complex phenomenon that encompasses all types of travel, cases of internal, international, temporary, permanent, cyclical and even possible statelessness.
Many of these shifts are occurring in the context of slow-onset climate impacts, such as drought, melting ice, or sea level rise. These changes reduce food security and access to water for communities.which forces many people to move to find better living conditions. This is happening in rural areas of Bangladesh and the Iranian province of Khuzestan.
Climate migrations also occur in the face of sudden events, such as hurricanes and floods.. An example of this is the five million people who were evacuated in May 2020 due to the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Bhutan.
Although these are short distance transfers that occur within countries, They generally affect a large number of people who often cannot return home. Sometimes international transfers also occur, caused directly and indirectly by the impacts of the climate crisis.
Climate migrations in figures
Population displacements driven by the climate crisis, conflict and poverty are increasing exponentially. At the end of 2020, global migration reached an alarming 82.4 million people. According to the Spanish Commission for Assistance to Refugees (CEAR), this is “the highest figure ever reached historically”, since it almost doubles that recorded in the previous decade.
That same year, 40.5 million new displacements were recorded in 149 countries and territories, a record number according to the 2021 report from the Internal Displacement Observatory (IDMC). 75% of these displacements were due to disastersIn other words, 30.7 million trips in 2020 were linked to weather and climate phenomena and events.
According to the two World Bank “Groundswell” reports, it is estimated that, in the worst climate scenario, more than 140 million people will emigrate to their countries due to climatic conditions in 2050. This situation could occur in six regions of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, East Asia and the Pacific, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia) if necessary measures are not taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. .greenhouse.
Future projections: where are we going?
Climate models have been used to project the future of human migration. According to a study published in the journal “Nature”, it is estimated that by 2050, up to 200 million people could be forced to leave their homes due to the effects of climate change. This phenomenon, known as “climate migration,” poses significant challenges to governments and immigration policies around the world.
Faced with this scenario, it is necessary to pay more attention to climate migration, since the lack of information and legal protection mechanisms leaves many people exposed to climate risks in situations of insecurity and great vulnerability .
Conclusion
As extreme weather events increase, so does the need for a coordinated and effective response to protect vulnerable communities and equitably manage migration. It is imperative that the international community collaborates to develop sustainable solutions that mitigate the impact of climate change and promote the resilience of affected communities.
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