Climate migration and the need for global cooperation

Migration, mainly from the Global South to the Global North is likely to increase in the wake of climate change, as worsening conditions, not least for agriculture, drive people to seek better opportunities. Now is the time to prepare, a group of researchers argues, emphasising that smoother integration requires a comprehensive revision of the food system, mobility policies, and social integration strategies.

According to the IPCC, entire populations risk becoming permanent climate migrants, such as the additional 63 million people projected to be displaced by sea level rise in coastal Asia over the next twenty years or the 2 billion projected to be exposed to extreme heat by the end of the century. Currently, international cooperation on existing distress migration is inadequate, prompting growing calls for reform.

A recent Commentary published in One Earth by Beijer Fellow Marten Scheffer and colleagues argues that the time is ripe for global collaboration on mobility. The authors fear that today’s unequal distribution of wealth and power, along with increasing geopolitical tensions and religious conflicts, could create new barriers that make it harder for people to move to safer, more livable places. Furthermore, global warming exacerbates existing inequalities.

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The team highlight the urgent need for proactive policies, proposing a three-pillar research framework for addressing these challenges: mobility, food systems, and integration.

Rethinking Mobility

An aging workforce is already a motivation for some countries to pursue policies that facilitate immigration. In the longer run, climate change may create additional demand for agricultural labour in temperate regions as productivity shifts northward. To prepare for these changes, the team advocate for scenario analyses to explore the costs and benefits of various migration strategies. This includes aligning education systems and expanding infrastructure and public services to accommodate newcomers. Reducing legal and institutional barriers to migration, while fostering international agreements, will be key to enabling smoother global mobility.

Transforming Food Systems

In temperate regions where agricultural opportunities may expand, forward-thinking policies are needed to address environmental and social impacts. This requires detailed scenario analyses to evaluate different strategies for global food production and distribution. On the demand side, unsustainable diets and production practices must be addressed. For instance, through removing public subsidies for animal agriculture.

Facilitating Integration

The article emphasise the importance of demonstrating the economic and social benefits of integration compared to segregation. Transparent evaluations can reveal the advantages of well-integrated societies in terms of economic growth and well-being. Policies must enhance the capacity of host communities to absorb newcomers while fostering civic, economic, and cultural participation.

Reference: Scheffer, M., W. N. Adger, S. R. Carpenter, C. Folke, T. Lenton, G. Vince, F. Westley, and C. Xu. 2024. Anticipating the global redistribution of people and property. One Earth 7(7):1151-1154.

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