TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: The World Migration Report 2024, released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), highlights the significant impact of climate change on human migration patterns worldwide.
EXPLANATION:
- Climate-related factors are identified as key drivers of internal displacement, with millions of people projected to be forced to move within their countries by 2050.
Magnitude of Climate-Induced Migration:
- The report predicts that over 216 million people across six continents will be displaced within their countries by 2050 due to climate change.
- While climate change is not the sole driver of migration, it exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and pressures on communities and systems.
- Climate change affects every continent and region, with no part of the world immune to its consequences.
- The report focuses on the Global South, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania, as well as the Global North, comprising Europe and North America.
Regional Impacts:
- Africa:
- In North Africa, there has been significant warming and decreased rainfall, particularly in countries like Libya, Algeria, and Morocco.
- A 2021 World Bank report projected that millions of people in North Africa could be forced to move within their countries due to climate change if no action is taken.
- Libya, still dealing with the aftermath of the Arab Spring, faces challenges exacerbated by water scarcity, which local militias have exploited.
- Algeria and Morocco have also experienced significant displacements caused by droughts and wildfires.
- For instance, wildfires in 2022 led to 9,500 displacements in northern Morocco and 2,000 displacements in northeastern Algeria, with more land destroyed in Morocco in 2022 than in the previous nine years combined.
- The Sahel, separating North Africa from the rest of the continent, has seen a drastic decrease in rainfall, making it one of the most prone regions to droughts.
- Additionally, sudden-onset disasters have displaced millions of people in the subregion.
- In Nigeria, floods in 2022 resulted in over 2.4 million internal displacements, the highest figure in ten years.
- Moving to the south and east of the continent, climate change continues to cause havoc.
- By May 2023, over 2 million people had been internally displaced due to drought in Ethiopia and Somalia combined.
- Furthermore, more than 866,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia were living in drought-affected areas at the beginning of the year.
- Southern Africa has also experienced more frequent and intense climate change-linked disasters, including Cyclone Freddy in early 2023, which caused over 500 deaths and displaced over 500,000 people in Malawi alone.
- Asia:
- In southern Asia, climate-related displacement has been significant in recent years.
- In Pakistan, the devastating floods of 2022 resulted in nearly 1,700 deaths and over 8 million displacements, marking one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s history.
- Similarly, Bangladesh, situated at the head of the Bay of Bengal, faces frequent displacements due to disasters.
- In 2022, record-breaking floods, some of the worst in a century, caused dozens of deaths and over 1.5 million displacements.
- Even the heart of Asia is not spared from climate-related challenges. Increasing desertification, glacial melt in the Third Pole, and dam failures have led to floods and subsequent displacement.
- Droughts have worsened, leading to water shortages for irrigation and other activities.
- Water management issues between neighboring countries, such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, have heightened tensions and even led to violent clashes.
- Moreover, clashes over water resources have been reported between farmers in Uzbekistan’s Namangan and Surkhandarya regions.
- Americas, Caribbean, and Oceania:
- In the Americas, Caribbean, and Oceania, climate-related internal displacement poses significant challenges.
- In South America, Ecuador is predicted to experience enhanced internal and international migration due to environmental factors.
- Peru has already enacted legislation for planned relocation along its rainforest rivers in response to climate change impacts.
- In Brazil, floods in 2022 displaced over 700,000 people, while Colombia saw 281,000 disaster displacements primarily caused by rain and floods the same year.
- Peru declared a state of emergency in early 2023 after cyclone Yaku caused widespread flooding, resulting in deaths, property destruction, and displacement.
- Chile, known for the Atacama desert, faces extremely destructive wildfires. In January, wildfires forced the evacuation of more than 7,500 people.
- The Caribbean, comprising the Greater and Lesser Antilles, the Windward, and Leeward Isles, is highly vulnerable to climate change.
- Hurricane Ian, hitting Cuba in September 2022, caused 80,000 displacements, mainly preemptive evacuations.
- Hurricane Fiona led to 94,000 displacements, with the majority in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
- The World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change anticipate increased migration due to climate change on small islands, including in the Caribbean.
- Even the Global North, including Canada and the United States, is affected. In Canada, wildfires in June 2023 displaced tens of thousands and burned millions of acres.
- Hurricane Ian caused over 300,000 displacements, mainly in Florida.
- In the Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones, volcanic eruptions, and droughts frequently cause displacement.
- In 2021, consecutive cyclones Ana and Bina hit the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji, triggering over 14,000 displacements.
- Pacific small island states, with half their population living within 10km of the coast, are vulnerable to slow-onset events like rising sea levels and coastal erosion, leading to significant human impacts, including displacement.
Policy Responses:
- Governments worldwide are implementing policy measures to address climate-induced displacement, including regional agreements, humanitarian visa pathways, and relocation initiatives.
- The Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change, signed by East and Horn of Africa subregion states, outlines commitments to address climate-induced mobility and promote sustainable development.
- The United States and Argentina have introduced visa pathways and relocation assistance programs for displaced populations from vulnerable regions.
- Pacific Island governments are developing a regional framework to address climate-related mobility, recognizing climate change as a critical security issue.
International Organization for Migration:
- Established in 1951, IOM is part of the United Nations System and stands as the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration.
- With 175 member states, a further 8 states holding observer status and offices in 171 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all.
- It does so by providing support to migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration and providing advice on migration policy and practice.
- Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
- IOM’s work is focused on the following three objectives:
- Saving lives and protecting people on the move: To fulfill this objective, IOM puts the safety, dignity and protection of people first in the most challenging crisis response contexts in the world.
- Driving solutions to displacement: In response to this aim, IOM endeavors to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, conflict and instability for communities affected by or at risk of displacement.
- Facilitating pathways for regular migration: To address this pursuit, IOM prioritizes whole-of-government, whole-of-society approaches to safely connect people, goods, services, knowledge and innovation.
