Migration

Question 1

What are some reasons people migrate?

Answer 1

• Economic uncertainty
• Political instability
• Environmental change

Question 2

What are the two ways climate change can drive migration?

Answer 2

Climate change can be a direct driver or an indirect driver of migration. For example, the destruction of homes by tropical cyclones is a direct driver. Rural income losses and food insecurity due to drought or heat-related crop failure, leading to increased migration, is an example of an indirect driver.

Question 3

What are some potential migration outcomes related to climate change?

Answer 3

• Voluntary migration: Higher-income households have a greater chance of successful migration and higher capacity for adaptation. The choice to migrate or adapt depends on perceptions of risks, social networks, wealth, age structure, health, and livelihood choices.
• Less voluntary migration: This occurs when adaptation is inadequate and future risks depend on the sending and destination communities’ political, legal, cultural, and socioeconomic conditions. Poorer households often have limited migration options and may migrate as a reaction to lost income or livelihood after an extreme climate event.
• Involuntary immobility: Immobile populations are groups or individuals who are unwilling or unable to move from highly exposed areas. This may require government interventions to help them stay or relocate.

Question 4

What are some observed impacts of climate change on migration and displacement?

Answer 4

• Short and long-term displacement: Examples include extreme storms, floods, and wildfires.
• Longer-term changes in migration patterns: Examples include drought and extreme heat and precipitation anomalies.
• Temporary or seasonal migration: Used for risk reduction by rural households, often in response to high seasonal precipitation. Examples include pastoralists (sub-Saharan Africa), seasonal farm workers (South Asia), and rural-urban labor migration (Central America).

Question 5

What are some types of climate-related migration?

Answer 5

• Internal migration: The most common type, occurring within a country’s borders and affecting all regions.
• International migration: Less common than internal migration, often occurring within South and Southeast Asia and within sub-Saharan Africa.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of climate-related displacement?

Answer 6

• Households are forced to leave their homes for a temporary period, often due to extreme events.
• Most displacement occurs within countries.
• The most common climate hazards associated with displacement include tropical cyclones and flooding (most regions), and droughts (sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South America).

Question 7

What is planned and/or organized resettlement?

Answer 7

• This occurs when source settlements become uninhabitable, requiring government or institutional assistance.
• Examples include Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Gulf of Mexico coast, and coastal Alaska.

Question 8

What is immobility in the context of climate change?

Answer 8

• This occurs when climate conditions warrant moving, but households are unable to relocate due to a lack of resources or choose to remain due to strong social, economic, or cultural attachments.
• Immobility is observed in all regions.

Question 9

What are climate traps and how do they affect refugees and international displacement?

Answer 9

Climate traps create risks for refugees, including:
* Settlements often located in regions with higher warming levels and extremes (e.g., droughts and high temperatures).
* Temporary displacement potentially lasting for generations.
* Barriers (legal and economic) preventing movement away from climate impacts.

Question 10

What are the projected risks of climate change on future migration and displacement?

Answer 10

• Increased frequency and/or severity of floods, extreme storms, and droughts, increasing risks for the most exposed areas.
• Rising mean sea level, leading to increased flooding and saltwater contamination of soil and groundwater, impacting coastal areas and small islands.
• Increased frequency of extreme heat events, potentially reducing the habitability of urban centers in the tropics and semi-arid regions.

Question 11

What is the Global Compact for Migration?

Answer 11

• The first intergovernmental negotiated agreement prepared under the United Nations for safe, orderly, and regular migration.
• Includes 23 objectives aimed at reducing the risks and vulnerabilities migrants face at various stages of migration.
• Protects human rights.

Question 12

How does migration relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Answer 12

• Target 10.7 aims to facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people.
• Migration is a cross-cutting issue relevant to all 17 SDGs.