"Natural Disasters Contribute to Rise in Population Displacement" - This was the eye-catching title of a press release by UNEP for the World Refugee Day on June 20 2008. UNEP is not the first international organization that has identified climate change as an important source of forced migration in the future. Others, like the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but also the Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have already contributed to a growing public awareness toward the issue.

Several aspects in the debate about the impact of climate change on refugee movements are still disputed; most important among them: the increase in numbers expected due to climatic changes, the best methods of assessing direct climate change effects on migration and the uncertain legal status of environmental refugees. None of these issues is going to be easily resolved but attention towards the problem is increasingly evident across different organizations and political camps. A good chance to gain insight into the current state of research however is coming up this October, at a conference hosted by Each-For, an EU research project devoted to "Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios".

The cross-sectoral character of the problem creates the need for a well concerted effort of different actors. It will be challenging to bridge national reservations towards migration issues with a fragmented institutional setting on the international level. The fact that many key issues in the debate remain unresolved is part of the problem. But Governments, International Organizations and NGOs have to show that they are capable and willing to constructively work together despite their different perspectives and interests. (Joeran Altenberg)

For the study "Migration and Climate Change" by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), please see here  

More information on the EU research project is available at http://www.each-for.eu/

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, August 2008