Climate Change Impacts As A Driving Force Behind Migration

Climate change is commonly associated with a number of concepts, the most prominent of which include pollution, rising temperatures, the melting of the polar ice caps, acid rain, and other factors. But there is an undiscovered reality that impacts millions of people across the world and is certain to become more severe in the future: those who have been forced to from their homes as a result of climate change.

In this case, who are the unintended protagonists of the situation? As defined by the International Institution for Migration, “environmental migrants were also people who are forced to leave their home, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of sudden or incremental changes in the climate that have a negative impact on their living conditions.” These people may move to other parts of their very own country or to another country entirely.

A Figure That Does Not Fall Under International Law

It is difficult to estimate the number of climate migrants today because international law does not provide protection to those that are forced to flee their homes as a result of climate change. However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that between 250 million & 1 billion people will be forced to leave their homes as a result of climate change in the next 50 years.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), droughts have more than tripled in the previous three decades, and environmental changes have resulted in bigger displacements than any of those caused by war.

Climate change is causing a catastrophe in the form of mass migration.

What Are The Factors That Contribute To Climate Migration?

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are numerous reasons that contribute to climate change-related displacement, and these factors cannot always be isolated from political, social, and economic considerations. They do, however, point to certain environmental considerations:

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent as a result of changing climate conditions, expanding the amount of humanitarian crises and, as a result, the number of people who are forced to flee their homes.

As a result of the impact on global warming and also the consequences it has on living circumstances, health, and food inside a developing country, migration can be exacerbated, further complicating an already difficult situation.

If the oceans rise, many coastal regions and tiny islands would see a dramatic deterioration in their human-habitable circumstances, to the point where they may become untenable or even disappear.

A lack of natural resources, including such water or food, can cause stressful circumstances or violent conflicts, which can drive the civil population to flee their homes and abandon their countries of origin.

Country-specific mitigation and adaptation strategies are being considered as solutions.

In order to mitigate the impact of global warming on climatic change migrants, the United Nations has included in its Development Goals the need to implement mitigation measures, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adaptation measures, such as making cities and infrastructures more resilient to climate change. Among other things, technological innovation, energy efficiency, and the application of renewable energies will play an important role in the advancement of protection of the environment, economic growth, and social progress.