Migration is a powerful tool of climate resilience and adaptation – not a security threat as is too often portrayed in the media. Migration is already helping some of the most vulnerable people protect themselves from climate change. This new report explores the climate and migration nexus, and outlines policies and practices that governments can implement to increase people’s safety and enhance opportunities to use migration as a form of resilience building.
The concept of ‘migration as climate adaptation’ has emerged as a way of allowing and equipping people to use migration as a way of creating climate resilience. This strategy recognises that, in some circumstances, people may move as a way to mitigate the risks and uncertainties associated with climate-related disruptions.
This report outlines some policies and practices that would increase safety and enhance opportunities to use migration as a form of resilience building.
These include:
- Creating secure, meaningful work in likely destination locations
- Enhancing rights protection for people on the move
- Providing training that allows people to access livelihood options in new locations
Our work on the connections between climate change and human mobility has focused on working with civil society organisations to empower them to advocate for the rights and welfare of people on the move due to climate change impacts. We created the Climate and Migration Coalition 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.