EMN-OECD Inform: Displacement and migration related to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation , Date: 2023.05.11, format: report, area: Authority

As more and more people are affected by climate change, the need to understand and prepare for climate-related migration has increased. This inform from the EMN and the OECD aims to complement existing research by providing a broader perspective on how displacement and migration related to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation are being addressed by key national-level initiatives and policies in EMN Member Countries as well as non-EU OECD countries.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), extreme weather events, such as abnormally intense rainfall, prolonged droughts, heat waves and cyclones are linked to the displacement of approximately 20 million+ people annually. Despite the fact that more people are affected by climate change, it is difficult to directly link environmental degradation to displacement or people's decision to migrate because of the complex interaction between environmental and other factors that can drive migration.
The inform highlights that to date no international regime includes climate change and environmental degradation as a ground for protection. At the national level, most of the reporting EMN Member Countries, have no specific national legislation in place on climate-related migration and displacement caused by climate change, nor have they implemented or planned any specific measures to host third-country nationals that might be affected by climate change or climate disasters. Several countries, nonetheless, have protection grounds in place that may be invoked in the case of climate-related migration. In general, the issue is being addressed by an increasing number of EMN Member Countries and non-EU OECD countries, within the framework of development cooperation and humanitarian aid policies.