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Category: Research

  • Climate Migration: A Gendered Perspective

    Climate Migration: A Gendered Perspective

    This article examines climate-induced migration through a gender-sensitive perspective, drawing attention to how pre-existing social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities create a greater likelihood of being forced to move due to the impacts of climate change.

    This can be particularly true for women and girls who face intersectional and structural discrimination, which shapes their resilience, adaptation, and migration experiences.

    This gender dimension remains largely overlooked in research, data collection, and legal frameworks on climate change migration. The lack of gender-sensitive statistics and legal protections contributes to ongoing invisibility, vulnerability, and inadequate protection for affected populations.

    Therefore, the author analyzes the potential, recent developments, and limitations of international legal frameworks in addressing climate migration from a gender-responsive perspective, emphasizing the need to integrate gender considerations into protection mechanisms for climate migrants.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.3233/EPL-239008

    Reference

    Borràs-Pentinat, S. (2023). Climate Migration: A Gendered Perspective. Environmental Policy and Law, 53(5-6), 385-399

  • Climate Change, Vulnerabilities, and Migration: Insights from Ecological Migrants in Bangladesh

    Climate Change, Vulnerabilities, and Migration: Insights from Ecological Migrants in Bangladesh

    This study examines the interaction between environmental hazards and non-environmental factors that drive migration, augmented by the struggles they face and their urban survival strategies.

    It focuses on Aila-induced migrants living in a slum in Khulna city, challenging the idea that environmental hazards alone explain migration from coastal areas.

    Instead, it asserts that migration results from a convergence of multiple factors, like environmental stress, socio-political and economic vulnerabilities, and proximity to ecologically fragile regions. Although initially driven by subsistence needs, migration becomes a longer-term strategy for many marginalized individuals.

    It is also emphasized how migrants form strong place-based networks that support their adaptation to urban life and help them cope with urban challenges, as well as the complexity of climate-induced migration and the need for comprehensive and context-sensitive policy responses.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1177/10704965231211589

    Reference

    Uddin, M. J. (2023). Climate Change, Vulnerabilities, and Migration: Insights from Ecological Migrants in Bangladesh. The Journal of Environment & Development, 33(1), 50-74

  • Climate Change and the Public Health Imperative for Supporting Migration as Adaptation

    Climate Change and the Public Health Imperative for Supporting Migration as Adaptation

    As human mobility has reached unprecedented levels in an era of accelerating global climate change, it is acknowledged that many cases of human migration in the context of climate change are forced or involuntary, particularly where adaptation measures have failed to achieve sufficient resiliency of communities against disasters.

    There are also many cases where migration is, itself, a voluntary adaptive measure to secure otherwise unattainable physical safety and life-sustaining resources.

    But, although climate migration is often approached as a human rights issue, it is noted that the public health community has been less unified and vocal on the topic.

    This paper, developed by the World Federation of Public Health Associations’ Environmental Health Working Group, seeks to address this gap by analyzing adaptive climate migration through a public health lens.

    The authors argue that creating an enabling environment for adaptive climate migration is not only a human rights imperative but also a public health necessity. They support this claim by showing how such environments can strengthen core public health services and functions, as outlined in the Global Charter for the Public’s Health.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100174

    Reference

    Marcus, H., Hanna, L., Tait, P., Stone, S., Wannous, C., & A product of the World Federation of Public Health Associations Environmental Health Working Group (2023). Climate change and the public health imperative for supporting migration as adaptation. Journal of migration and health, 7, 100174

  • Migration and Climate Change – The Role of Social Protection

    Migration and Climate Change – The Role of Social Protection

    Social protection as a tool for supporting climate-vulnerable populations by reducing livelihood risks and smoothing consumption is examined in this systematic review.

    Drawing on 28 studies, it analyzes how social protection influences migration decisions, experiences, and outcomes in the context of climate change through mechanisms such as cash transfers, public works programs, insurance, and health care.

    Three key ways in which social protection policies are linked to climate-related migration are identified: social protection can ease financial barriers to migration as a strategy to manage climate risks, address adverse drivers that may force maladaptive or distress migration, and support those who remain behind in maintaining their livelihoods.

    Results highlight the potential of social protection to encourage more positive climate-migration outcomes for policymakers, practitioners, and affected communities.

    At the same time, the authors notice important knowledge gaps regarding how social protection can best support vulnerable groups. and further empirical research is called for, especially for the inclusion of social protection in climate and migration policy debates, to support voluntary and planned migration when long-term adaptation is no longer viable.

    Learn more about this review here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100472

    Reference

    Silchenko, D., & Murray, U. (2023). Migration and climate change – The role of social protection. Climate Risk Management, 39, 100472

  • The Future is Now: Climate Displacement and Human Rights Obligations — A Note on Recent Developments in the UN Human Rights Committee

    The Future is Now: Climate Displacement and Human Rights Obligations — A Note on Recent Developments in the UN Human Rights Committee

    Although climate-related litigation has been a growing global concern, the author of this paper notices that climate mobility in itself has seldom been the subject of relevant case law.

    Only human rights bodies in particular have begun to make progress in legal developments in the sphere of climate mobility.

    In this paper, a 2022 determination by the UN Human Rights Committee is examined, which concerns the habitability of a small island setting – Australia’s Torres Strait Islands – under climate change conditions and the legal responsibilities of nation states to abide by their international human rights obligations in implementing timely adaptation measures, which could help to ensure continued habitation.

    Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.1061474

    Reference

    Thornton F (2022) The future is now: Climate displacement and human rights obligations—a note on recent developments in the UN Human Rights Committee. Front. Clim. 4:1061474

  • A Systematic Review of Climate Migration Research: Gaps in Existing Literature

    A Systematic Review of Climate Migration Research: Gaps in Existing Literature

    In this literature review, an analysis is made of how climate-induced migration is framed in academic literature, and key research gaps are identified.

    For this purpose, a systematic review was done of 161 journal articles published between 1990 and 2019.

    Results reveal diverse discourses focusing on policy, climate vulnerability, adaptation, resilience, conflict, security, and environmental issues. Asia emerges as the most studied region, followed by Oceania, indicating a strong research focus on tropical and subtropical areas.

    The authors note that climate – induced migration affects livelihoods, socio – economic conditions, culture, security, and health, but that little is known about the livelihood outcomes of climate migrants in international destinations and their impacts on host communities.

    They conclude by proposing a research agenda and emphasizing the urgent need for coordinated global and national policies to address climate-induced migration as a major global challenge.

    Learn more about this review here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-022-00341-8

    Reference

    Ghosh, R.C., Orchiston, C. A systematic review of climate migration research: gaps in existing literature. SN Soc Sci 2, 47 (2022)

  • Climate Change, Inequality, and Human Migration

    Climate Change, Inequality, and Human Migration

    This paper investigates the long-term effects of climate change on global migration and inequality, having the authors modeled the impact of climate change on productivity and utility in a dynamic general equilibrium framework.

    By endogenizing migration decisions across millions of spatial cells, the study captures the scale and structure of climate-induced migration across regions and education groups.

    Study findings show that climate change intensifies global inequality and poverty, reinforces urbanization, and increases migration from low- to high-latitude areas. Median projections suggest that global warming could lead to the voluntary and forced permanent relocation of around 62 million working-age individuals during the 21st century.

    Overall, it is concluded that under current international migration policies, only a small share of those affected are able to move beyond their home countries, and that while massive international migration is unlikely under most scenarios, climate-driven poverty poses a major global threat.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvab054

    Reference

    Michał Burzyński, Christoph Deuster, Frédéric Docquier, Jaime de Melo, Climate Change, Inequality, and Human Migration, Journal of the European Economic Association, Volume 20, Issue 3, June 2022, Pages 1145–1197

  • A Global Child Health Perspective on Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights

    A Global Child Health Perspective on Climate Change, Migration and Human Rights

    The growing impacts of anthropogenic climate change on human displacement and child health are vast, and the need for immediate collaborative action and policy change to reduce carbon emissions is imperative.

    Climate-related disasters and extreme weather events are already disrupting livelihoods, economies, population health, and human rights, creating large-scale migration and displacement crises with serious consequences for children.

    Displacement and migration, both within and across national borders, have significant physical and mental health effects on children, who are particularly vulnerable due to their developmental immaturity and dependence on others for safety and resources. Although they bear little responsibility for the climate crisis, children face some of its most severe consequences, raising concerns about social and intergenerational injustice.

    In this paper, the role of pediatric health care providers in caring for displaced children and advocating for those most at risk is emphasized.

    It offers a global perspective on climate change, including how its impacts reflect and reinforce colonial legacies, and provides practical action steps for clinicians in the United States and for those advocating for children’s health worldwide.

    Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2021.101029

    Reference

    Uddin, R., Philipsborn, R., Smith, D., Mutic, A., & Thompson, L. M. (2021). A global child health perspective on climate change, migration and human rights. Climate Change and Children, 51(6), 101029

  • Migration and Dignity – Relocation and Adaptation in the Face of Climate Change Displacement in the Pacific – A Human Rights Perspective

    Migration and Dignity – Relocation and Adaptation in the Face of Climate Change Displacement in the Pacific – A Human Rights Perspective

    In this study, the threat of climate-induced displacement facing millions of people is looked into, with particular attention to Small Island States in the Pacific. Focusing on the case of Kiribati, it analyzes the shift from the government’s former Migration With Dignity (MWD) relocation strategy to a new approach centered on economic development, climate adaptation, and mitigation.

    Using a human rights perspective, it seeks to explore and contrast the potential and limitations of cross-border relocation with the current adaptation strategy, illustrated by an urban and land development project in Temaiku Bight on South Tarawa.

    It further considers alternative pathways, including expanded labor migration quotas and humanitarian visas.

    The study demonstrates that neither adaptation nor relocation alone offers a sufficient solution. Instead, a combination of strategies is needed to protect dignity and rights. It concludes by outlining key policy issues that must be addressed to ensure meaningful, rights-based migration options for the people of Kiribati in the years ahead.

    The author also argues that while adaptation and economic growth may take some time and regional cross-border relocations give no precedent for best practice, the best solution is a combination of options which cannot exist in isolation, summing up the numerous policy issues which must be addressed for there to be any hope of migration and dignity for the people of Kiribati in the years to come.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2021.1889515

    Reference

    Kupferberg, J. S. (2021). Migration and dignity – relocation and adaptation in the face of climate change displacement in the Pacific – a human rights perspective. The International Journal of Human Rights, 25(10), 1793–1818

  • Climate Change, Migration, and Civil Strife

    Climate Change, Migration, and Civil Strife

    In this theoretical paper, the intersection of human migration and climate change is investigated, highlighting growing evidence that environmental and climatic changes act as triggers for both voluntary and forced displacement. The authors argue that this connection calls for anticipatory and proactive engagement at global, regional, and local levels.

    Recent evidence indicates that climate change is likely to displace large populations from rural to urban areas, with onward migration occurring when urban centers also become uninhabitable.

    Climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier” that intensifies existing vulnerabilities and disproportionately affects already at-risk populations. Worst-case projections suggest that nearly one-third of the world’s population could be exposed to extremely hot, uninhabitable climates under business-as-usual scenarios.

    The authors conclude that current migration regimes, originally designed for post–World War II Europe, are inadequate for addressing climate-related population movements. They emphasize the need to use existing legal instruments to support new local, regional, and international protection arrangements, particularly since most environmental migrants will remain within their own countries.

    Migration is therefore reframed not only as a consequence of climate instability but also as an adaptation strategy, and it is stressed that climate-driven mobility must be anticipated, planned for, and supported.

    Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-020-00291-4

    Reference

    Balsari, S., Dresser, C. & Leaning, J. Climate Change, Migration, and Civil Strife. Curr Envir Health Rpt 7, 404–414 (2020)