We need to change the conversation about migration: it’s a powerful tool of climate resilience and adaptation

When people move to find work they very often send a portion of their income back to their family who have stayed behind. This flow of money is becoming a critical aspect of climate resilience. This money may be invested in enhancing local agricultural resilience, such as improving irrigation or switching to drought-tolerant crops. 

This financial flow also helps provide a financial safety net for families affected by climate change. A household that is highly dependent on income from agriculture can potentially use remittances from a migrant household member to cope with temporary income loss during drought or other climate-driven interruptions to their income. 

This new reality presents a challenge to governments across the world. Migration linked to climate change is no longer a far-off future scenario. For many people migration represents their best shot at climate resilience. In a new report we make the case that rather than trying to curtail migration, governments should instead find ways of making it safer. 

By making migration safer, governments potentially allow more people to use it as a way of building their climate resilience.  Our report make the case that creating new, safe legal migration options for climate-vulnerable communities should be seen as part of a new approach to climate adaptation. Through cooperation to make migration safer, governments are helping to build the climate resilience and adaptation options open to climate vulnerable communities. 

This approach represents a break from many of the common narratives and policy conversations about climate-driven migration and displacement. Policymakers and the media often view climate-driven migration as a threat or a security problem. Our report shows that far from being a security risk, migration is already helping some of the most vulnerable people protect themselves from climate change. 

Many policy options are open to governments who want to recognise migration as a vital part of the climate adaptation tool kit. 

Creating employment opportunities in regions where migrants are likely to relocate will be vital. This could involve investing in sectors that are already creating work in locations that people are likely to need to move to. It can also mean investing in sectors that are key to the transition towards zero-carbon societies. 

The people who most need to move may find that their skills are mismatched with the available jobs in safer locations. This is potentially  a barrier to many people who want to use migration as a way of coping with climate change. Establishing training and education programmes that help people access work in potential destination locations will be an essential part of widening access to migration.

As more people use migration as a climate resilience measure, improving and enforcing legal frameworks to safeguard the rights of all migrants will be essential. This includes access to basic services and protection from discrimination, exploitation and violence.

The people facing the most acute climate risks are those who have contributed the least to global heating. All governments must begin to recognise the importance of climate-driven migration, but the governments of high emitting countries have a special responsibility to provide financial  support and new legal migration options. 

This blog was written as part of our Climate and Migration Coalition, which Climate Outreach created to provide a platform for organisations to engage with climate-linked migration and displacement. Through partnerships, the coalition provides training, insights and resources that build these organisations’ capacity to engage with climate-linked mobility. We also engage in policy work around climate-linked mobility, focusing on advocacy on the rights and welfare of people at risk of displacement.