Climate-Induced Migration: Global Scope, Regional Impacts and National Policy Frameworks

Flooding in the Ba River Delta, Viti Levu Island, Fiji. Photo credit: Votua Community.

According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, globally more than 24 million people were displaced annually between 2008 and 2018 due to climate-related hazards, within and across borders. Large-scale migration in response to sudden-onset climate-related disasters and slow-onset environmental degradation and sea-level rise will place increased pressure on livelihoods, public health systems, infrastructure, and social services. This area of research requires attention to complex drivers as climate-induced reasons for migration interact with social, gendered, economic, and cultural contexts that produce diverse populations that either embark on uncertain migration trajectories or are unable to migrate.

Our consortium of WUN academics and non-WUN partners will contribute to a better understanding of when, where, how and at what scale climate-induced migration takes place in different world regions. It will do so through a structured analysis of existing studies on this phenomenon, a systematic stock-taking of available research expertise across WUN members, and a global analysis of policy and legal frameworks pertaining to climate-induced migration. The findings are expected to help inform policy measures in the field of international and internal migration and improve legal frameworks at the national and international level for the protection of so-called climate migrants. The research consortium will operate in three regional clusters, and its activities will be supported by a series of virtual meetings, a thematic session at a major international conference and a four-day workshop. Research outputs envisaged during the one-year funding period are a guest-edited special issue in a high-impact migration studies journal and an edited book collection with a reputable publishing house. In the medium term, it is envisaged to develop a “WUN Research Network for Global Climate-Induced Migration” that will operate under a combination of external and internal funding arrangements.

Who’s Involved?

  • Professor Andreas Neef, The University of Auckland
  • Associate Professor Jay Marlowe, The University of Auckland
  • Dr Jesse Hession Grayman, The University of Auckland
  • Dr Sam Manuela, The University of Auckland
  • Dr Shiloh Groot, The University of Auckland
  • Professor Petra Tschakert, The University of Western Australia
  • Dr Natasha Pauli, The University of Western Australia
  • Associate Professor Daniel Reichman, University of Rochester
  • Dr Katie Kuschminder, Maastricht University
  • Dr Samantha Martin-McAuliffe, University College Dublin
  • Dr Alice Clancy, University College Dublin
  • Professor Annica Kronsell, University of Gothenburg
  • Dr Andréas Litsegård, University of Gothenburg
  • Professor Craig Hutton, University of Southampton
  • Professor Pia Riggirozzi, University of Southampton
  • Associate Professor Ivan Haigh, University of Southampton
  • Dr Chris Hill, University of Southampton
  • Professor Samouel Nii Ardey Codjoe, University of Ghana
  • Dr Benjamin Dankyira Ofori, University of Ghana
  • Dr John Kwame Boateg, University of Ghana
  • Ms Ann Singleton, University of Bristol
  • Associate Professor Bukola Salami, University of Alberta
  • Professor Rob Merchant, University of York
  • Professor Elizabeth Brabec, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Professor Silvia Gpe. Figueroa González, Tecnológico de Monterrey
  • Professor Eduardo González Velázquez, Tecnológico de Monterrey
  • Professor Pedro Alfonso Elizalde Monteagudio, Tecnológico de Monterrey
  • Professor Tzinti Ramírez Reyes, Tecnológico de Monterrey
  • Prof Björn Vollan, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
  • Dr Masami Tsujita Levi, National University of Samoa
  • Dr Anita Latai Niusulu, National University of Samoa
  • Dr Frank Laczko, International Organization of Migration (Berlin)
  • Susanne Melde, International Organization of Migration (Berlin) 
  • Sieun Lee, International Organization of Migration (Bangkok)

Other Research Groups in this Global Challenge

Understanding Cultures

Responding to Climate Change

Public Health (Non-communicable Disease)