New Haven, CT
Climate change-related migration and displacement are no longer predictions: they are a reality unfolding across the globe. As communities face rising temperatures, droughts, water scarcity, floods, storms, and environmental degradation, millions are moving in search of safety and opportunity. How climate migration is framed, understood, and translated will shape the resilience and rights of communities on the move and those receiving them for years to come.
Recognizing the urgency of addressing the opportunities and challenges of climate migration, Yale University and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have signed a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance pioneering research and policy on the links between climate change and human migration and displacement in East, Horn, and Southern Africa. The agreement, signed by Frantz Celestin, IOM Regional Director for East, Horn, and Southern Africa, and Jeffrey McGuinness, Director of Industry Contracts at Yale University, formalizes work being done jointly by IOM and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice (YCEJ) to conduct and publish climate migration research, especially case studies linking migration, environment, and climate change in the region.
“Today, more people are displaced by climate migration than by war,” said Dr. Sinafekesh Wolde, a Postdoctoral Associate at YCEJ. “It’s vital that this issue be framed in ways that optimize outcomes for migrants and for the communities that are welcoming them.”
Under the collaboration, Yale students and researchers, guided by faculty members, are working alongside IOM experts to develop evidence-based research on migration and environmental change. The research will draw from coursework and field research, contributing to a joint report and country-specific case studies that shed light on how climate impacts are shaping human movement across the region. The first case study is already underway, focusing on framing Climate Migration in Southern Angola. In the summer of 2025, Yale students and faculty traveled to Angola to conduct field research, resulting in successful data collection and collaboration with universities in Cunene province, local organizations, and the Ministry of Environment and Planning.
“This partnership bridges academic inquiry and real-world action,” said Michel Gelobter, YCEJ’s Executive Director. “Our student’s work with IOM is informing Angola’s very first climate migration policies and, more broadly, helping to create humanistic and forward-looking understandings of climate migration and policy.
The depth and duration of the partnership signal Yale’s growing commitment to addressing global climate and migration challenges through interdisciplinary research and international collaboration. The project was initiated thanks to a seed grant from Yale’s Planetary Solutions Project.
Pictured Left to right: David Martineau (IOM Angola Chief of Mission), His Excellency Dr. Nascimento Soares (State Secretary for Climate Action and Sustainable Development), and Michel Gelobter (YCEJ Executive Director) in Luanda, Angola.
