Search

Begin New Search Topic Climate Refugees

1. Funding Climate Mobility Projects: Key Players and Strategies for Growth

Author:
Lawrence Huang and Samuel Davidoff-Gore
Publication Date:
03-2025
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
While international donors have long supported responses to displacement driven by natural disasters, climate change is reshaping the challenge at hand. It can worsen extreme weather events such as storms while also posing slower-onset threats such as desertification and sea level rise, which can directly and indirectly force people to move. The growing scale and complexity of climate-related mobility thus requires a paradigm shift in global funding for responses. This issue brief provides an overview of how development funders are responding to climate mobility issues, highlights entry points for donors interested in engaging on this issue, and outlines common barriers and strategies to overcome them. It examines development assistance provided via both bilateral cooperation and multilateral funding, through multilateral development banks, global climate funds, and more. This research draws on insights shared by representatives of donor governments, philanthropic foundations, and multilateral development banks as part of a multi-year Donor Community of Practice on Climate Mobility.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Migration, Governance, Mobility, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2. Solving the Double Climate Migration Paradox

Author:
Kira Vinke and Mechthild Becker
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Abstract:
Human interference with the environment is fundamentally – and rapidly – reshaping geographies. Therefore, the question of where people will be able to live in safety and prosperity needs reconciling with these diametrically opposed trends: the continued use of fossil fuels, migration deterrence, and labor shortages. PDF Cover of PDF version of DGAP Commentary No. 4 application/pdf206.84 KB Share Discourses on migration and asylum-related issues have become increasingly contested in Western democracies. Anti-migrant rhetoric continues to gain momentum, particularly ahead of elections. This trend could be observed around the 2024 European elections when voters throughout the EU made migration a top priority in their decision-making. Similarly, in the United States, immigration on the southern border has become a deeply contested issue in the upcoming presidential election. “The migrant” has arguably become the scapegoat for economic and social problems in contemporary politics. The UK’s norm-defeating and dysfunctional asylum deal with Rwanda, now terminated, is just one example of how politics feeds such discriminatory narratives. While migration issues have received extensive media coverage and become increasingly politicized, a growing driver of migration has slipped down the list of political priorities: climate change.
Topic:
Climate Change, Migration, Economy, Migration Policy, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3. Public Opinion of Climate Migrants: Understanding What Factors Trigger Anxiety or Support

Author:
Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and Lawrence Huang
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Climate change and extreme weather events are predicted to dramatically alter patterns of human mobility around the world. This poses an urgent policy question: How will receiving communities react to the arrival of people displaced by disasters and climate impacts? The degree of public support for newcomers can shape how policy responses are designed, implemented, and received by the public. But public opinion is not always easy to predict, nor is it static or fixed. A review of polling and experimental data from around the world suggests that climate migration may trigger anxiety if accompanied by a sense of disorder, unfairness, or loss of control, but also that communities can rally to support large displaced populations, given the right conditions. Efforts to increase support for climate migrants often draw on common narratives—of urgency, of climate migrants’ victimhood, or of their ability to make positive contributions to climate action—but these all come with their own risks and trade-offs. This issue brief looks at what is known about public opinion of climate migrants, and what lessons can be gleaned from broader efforts to mitigate public anxiety and build welcoming communities in the context of rapid societal change. It reflects on how common narratives can create environments more or less welcoming of climate migrants, and how they shape the space policymakers have to think creatively about how to manage climate migration.
Topic:
Migration, Public Opinion, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

4. Displacement and International Protection in a Warming World

Author:
Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Lawrence Huang
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Most climate-related displacement occurs within a country’s territory, but when people cross borders, it poses particular challenges. Policymakers in destination countries face the task of simultaneously managing borders and addressing arriving migrants’ emergency assistance and protection needs. Yet, the migration and refugee policy tools available are rarely, if ever, designed with climate displacement in mind. There is no consensus, for example, on what status climate-displaced people should receive, what rights and benefits they are entitled to, and how states should respond if climate change has rendered their homes uninhabitable. And unless policymakers proactively manage climate displacement, these movements can further weaken already fragile migration management and asylum systems. This issue brief explores what role the international protection system can and should play in responses to cross-border climate displacement and highlights steps policymakers could take to diversify the policy toolkit beyond the protection realm.
Topic:
Climate Change, Migration, Refugees, Displacement, Protection, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

5. Engaging Local Communities for More Effective Climate Mobility Programming

Author:
Lawrence Huang and Camille Le Coz
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Climate change does not affect all communities the same way. Floods in one location can cause massive, long-term displacement and even permanent relocation, while they might only trigger short-term evacuations elsewhere. This depends to a significant extent on how vulnerable communities are to begin with and the resources they have to cope and adapt. And because the impacts of climate change on human mobility are highly localized, the solutions need to be as well. In this context, localization means designing solutions to prevent displacement and support safe migration in ways that account for a specific community’s ability to recover, rebuild, and adapt, as well as its aspirations and priorities. Local stakeholders—including municipal authorities and local nongovernmental organizations—have a key role to play in this space, often alongside international and national actors, given their first-hand grasp of local needs and dynamics. This issue brief explores the importance of localization in climate migration solutions, as well as common barriers that have kept local actors from taking on greater roles. It also offers recommendations for turning localization from a rhetorical commitment into practical action.
Topic:
Climate Change, International Cooperation, Migration, Localization, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

6. Climate Change and Migration

Author:
Emmanuella Doussis and Maria Eleni Pantazi Psatha
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Abstract:
The nexus between climate change and migration is not newly emerged; yet it has recently started gaining territory in political agendas. It constitutes a complex phenomenon which involves various fields, making it harder to collect accurate and up-to-date data. Climate migration can take different forms-internal or cross-border, temporary or permanent- and is usually affected by a combination of factors. Therefore, this policy paper advocates for addressing climate migration in relation to existing agendas and frameworks, and not as a stand-alone issue. It also promotes the conceptualisation of climate migration by focusing on how we talk about people who migrate because of climate change and not what we call them. The last section provides a set of policy recommendations, advocating for tailor-made solutions based on regional and national needs and vulnerabilities. Overall, the policy paper underscores the importance of addressing the complexity of climate migration and calls for concerted policy efforts. · Climate change is one of the factors among others that lead to human mobility. · Climate migration is a multicausal and multi-form phenomenon. · Climate migration should not be perceived as a stand-alone issue for which an entirely novel legal and political framework should be adopted. Au contraire, it needs to be addressed in relation with other agendas and existing areas of cooperation. · The focus should be placed on how we talk about people moving for climatic reasons and not what we call them. · Attention should be paid to internal and inter-regional displacement. · One-size-fits-all policy responses are unrealistic; thus, tailor-made solutions should be promoted. · Mitigation policies can be developed through existing frameworks. · Reinforcement of National Adaptation Plans is of significant importance. · Migration can be seen as an adaptation strategy. · Promotion of humanitarian visas as well as bilateral free movement agreements are some policies that need to be reinforced.
Topic:
Climate Change, Migration, Mobility, Freedom of Movement, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus

7. Climate Change and Geopolitics in the Blue Pacific

Author:
Danielle Lynn Goh
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
Climate change has consistently been articulated as the greatest threat to the region by the leaders of Pacific Island countries. Atoll nations face the possibility of forced displacement due to rising sea levels and extreme weather events. At the same time, these countries risk being drawn into the China-US competition for geopolitical influence even though this rivalry provides opportunities for them to engage with the big powers to deal with climate change. The Pacific island countries have also been strengthening their regional security through a more unified approach, established in their 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy.
Topic:
Climate Change, Geopolitics, Regional Security, Forced Displacement, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
China, Asia-Pacific, and United States of America

8. Sea Level Rise and Climate Statelessness: From 'Too Little, Too Late' to Context-Based Relevance

Author:
Michel Rouleau-Dick
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Statelessness & Citizenship Review
Institution:
Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, Melbourne Law School
Abstract:
Several low-lying island states currently risk the loss of their entire territory before the end of the century. Combined with the inadequacy of the existing framework of international refugee law to address the challenges faced by those displaced, this situation has made the law on statelessness an interesting candidate for securing an alternative path to obtaining a legal status in a post-relocation context. However, while several authors have examined this possibility, the majority conclude that it fails in its putative task by providing too little, and by coming into play too late to be of any significant relevance to the situation of environmentally displaced persons in low-lying island states. This article challenges this narrative by re-examining the relevance of the law on statelessness along with the context within which it might have to play a role.
Topic:
Climate Change, Displacement, Statehood, Statelessness, Legal Status, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus and Island States

9. 2021 Kaldor Centre Conference Report: Making sense of movement in the context of climate change

Author:
Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney
Publication Date:
10-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney
Abstract:
In 2020, disasters displaced 31 million people within their own countries, three times as many as by conflict. Extreme weather events are growing more frequent and intense. Salination, desertification, sea-level rise and other slow-onset impacts are starting to bite. The pace of climate-related displacement is accelerating, but the public debate about it is still evolving. The Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW Sydney is dedicated to undertaking rigorous research on the most pressing displacement issues in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, and contributing to improved public policy by promoting lawful, sustainable and humane solutions to forced migration. Our research in the area of climate mobility – led by a pioneer in the field, Centre Director Professor Jane McAdam – has been at the forefront of legal debates and policy development. What laws, policies, data and action do we need to ensure safety for people forced from their homes in a warming world? Find the highlights, insights and solutions in this report of the cutting-edge Kaldor Centre Conference 2021, ‘Whose move? Addressing displacement and migration in the face of climate change’, held as a virtual event from 19–21 October 2021.
Topic:
Climate Change, Migration, Displacement, Mobility, and Climate Refugees
Political Geography:
Global Focus