The Science, Policies, and Ethics of Climate Migration: Disrupting the Negative Feedbacks Between Climate and Migration Politics
The International Organization of Migration estimates that climate change could displace over 1.5 billion people in the next 25 years. That very same migration is domestic political challenges that destabilize normal governance and fuel conflict. Moreover anti-immigration policies have become a core element of many far-right politicians, as has climate denialism, a factor polarizing electorates around the world.
The political intersection of climate policy and migration thus constitutes a powerful negative feedback loop –with climate change increasing migration increasing polarization reducing environmental cooperation and policy-making. This project will develop a body of research and a research community aimed at mitigating this feedback loop in two ways. Carefully selected case studies will explore a) the attribution of different types of migration to climate change and b) the adequacy of global frameworks, local policies and international assistance to address migration. The project will stimulate new ways of addressing climate migration that dampen the negative political feedback loops, help drive policy and financial innovation, bolster the resilience of migrant-receiving communities, and support aid and policy frameworks addressing this vast challenge.
