Reframing and Guiding Migration in the Context of Climate Change
As leaders gather at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, countries must set a new global target for funding the fight against climate change. At the same time, the impact of climate change on people’s mobility and immobility is becoming an increasingly crucial issue to address.
Millions of people move each year. An increasing share of migration can be linked to extreme weather such as cyclones and floods, as well as seasonal changes such as prolonged droughts – all of which are projected to intensify and increase in frequency due to climate change.
Climate change has become a catalyzer that alters the decisions of people in climate-vulnerable areas on whether to move. Mobility, including forced displacement, is one of the consequences of climate change. Hence, climate-linked mobility needs to be a priority topic on the international agenda.
In line with global discussions, at this years’ COP29 important progress and ambitious decisions regarding adaptation planning and financing are expected. This is in addition to concrete steps towards the financing and operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund. These mechanisms must make sure that climate-related mobility, both as a reality and as an adaptation measure, is part of a constructive discussion that leads to policies and programmatic action for safe migration.
Adaptation measures for climate change can be taken in climate-vulnerable areas (e.g., crop variation and diversification, resilient infrastructure). In some cases, migration may offer more safety and climate resilience than staying put. Indeed, mobility can be an important adaptation strategy, allowing people to escape harm or danger. Families can diversify income sources, acquire new skills, increase autonomy and spread household risk through migration. Financial and social remittances from family members play a critical role in development, including enabling adaptive measures. And, in some cases, mobility is the only option following climate-related loss and damage of livelihoods and living perspectives. The following diagram illustrates these different migration outcomes.
Maximizing the development potential of climate-linked migration requires solutions that enable safe, planned and voluntary movement, support integration in new locations, offer safe returns and relocation for those who seek it, and support efforts to improve circumstances and make the most of development benefits.
Guidance on better mobility policies, strategies and interventions
Helvetas works in many of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Communities and individuals are being exposed to growing risks and have inadequate capacities to adapt to the changes. Within this context, our organization developed a guidance paper to provide an overview on the topic based on recent literature and to provide operational recommendations.
This body of knowledge is intended for Helvetas programs and partners, and for any organization interested in the subject. The aim is to foster reflection and action, promote and advocate for coherent policies, and guide the development of relevant and evidence-based strategies and interventions that focus on the needs and perspectives of the world’s most at-risk people.
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