The Climate Migration Council Releases New Report To Advance Efforts To Address Climate Migration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Climate Migration Council – a global group of government, business, national security, and advocacy leaders – released a Compendium on Climate Mobility today to advance efforts to address climate migration. The Compendium explores the factors behind the millions of people migrating due to the climate crisis and recommends frameworks for how leaders can better handle the complexities of such climate migration.
The climate crisis is accelerating human migration patterns. According to the International Organization for Migration, an average of 22 million people moved annually over the past decade due to the impact of various disasters. In 2022 alone, more than 32 million people were forced to relocate due to floods and storms. These numbers are only expected to rise without serious efforts to slow and adapt to climate change, increasing the need and urgency to focus on this pressing issue.
“Responding to forced mobility due to climate change requires coordinated activities of actors at the global, regional and national levels, pursuing strategies of mitigation and adaptation,” said T. Alexander Aleinikoff, University Professor and Director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, The New School; United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees (2010-2015) and member of the Climate Migration Council’s Strategic Working Group. “This Compendium provides a comprehensive and versatile toolkit, providing the flexibility and contextual depth we need to tackle such a multifaceted issue.”
The Compendium first highlights several key framings designed to elevate awareness and underscore the pressing need for action on climate mobility. Second, it suggests critical actions such as addressing the interconnected nature of environmental challenges or implementing disaster risk reduction measures that can avert, minimize, and address displacement in the context of climate change. The Compendium calls for comprehensive action along five interconnected axes:
Pillar 1: Scaling Up Prevention of Displacement
Pillar 2: Supporting Disaster-Affected People Who Persist in Place
Pillar 3: Enhancing Mobility Pathways
Pillar 4: Protecting Displaced Persons
Pillar 5: Taking Action on Loss and Damage
By highlighting the diversity of approaches to addressing climate migration, the Compendium allows readers to select a framing that aligns most closely with their own area of expertise and influence. Each approach is a complement to another, highlighting the interconnectedness required to address human mobility within the climate crisis.
To learn more about the Climate Migration Council, visit www.climatemigrationcouncil.org. Writing a story about climate migration and looking for sources? Contact press@climatemigrationcouncil.org to get connected with a member of the Climate Migration Council.