Climate migration in numbers
BART W. ÉDES is Head of the Knowledge
Sharing and Services Center at the Asian
Development Bank.It has been given less than two
years to deliver recommendations
applicable at subnational, national,
regional, and international levels, and
to identify legal, policy and institutional
challenges, as well as good practices
and lessons learned.
Countries in Asia and the Pacific
are already bolstering their defences
against environmental threats and
preparing for displacement in areas
that are no longer safe to inhabit.
Countries such China, Papua New
Guinea, and Vietnam have relocated
communities that face flood risks.
Bangladesh, long accustomed to
cyclones and extensive flooding,
has signed an agreement with the
Netherlands to reclaim land using
sediment flowing through the country’s
rivers, creating resettlement areas for
people displaced by river erosion.
In the Mangoroco village in Iloilo
Province in the Philippines, a sea wall
built by residents saved many lives
when Typhoon Haiyan hit the area intHe aftermatH of
natural disasters
Pinpointing the causes behind
extreme weather events and natural
disasters is a challenge, given that
they are often attributed to several
factors, including natural variability.
However, scientists have been able to
establish correlations between some
natural disasters and climate change.
A good way to think about this
relationship is to consider whether
a natural disaster is rendered more
likely by climate change.
A study released in late 2015
found that at least half of the extreme
weather events of 2014 bore traces
of human-induced climate change.
Bill McGuire, a professor emeritus
in geophysical and climate hazards
at University College London, has
established a connection between
climate change and the triggering
of earthquakes, tsunamis and
volcanoes, identifying the ways
in which geological responses are
activated by a warming planet.AUSTRALIAAFRICAASIA42651- Kiribati has adopted a “migration
with dignity” policy to create new
opportunities for those who wish
to emigrate abroad now and in the
near future.
An Asian Development Bank study
recommended that countries conduct
national assessments of natural
disaster risks, calling for strengthened
disaster risk management through
better early disaster warning systems
and improved design of post-disaster
sheltering plans. There’s also a need
for social protection and jobs for those
who remain behind in vulnerable areas.
Governments can offer support
to development initiatives driven
by the communities themselves, as
well as skills training and alternative
livelihood programmes. They can
invest in climate-resilient sustainable
infrastructure and basic services in
migrant-receiving cities, using hazard
maps to guide future settlement plans,
and consulting with communities in the
construction of storm-resistant homes.
Environmental migration should be
systematically addressed in strategy,
policy, and planning documents on
climate change, such as nationally
determined contributions under the
COP process, as well as in country
development plans and disaster risk
reduction strategies.
With planning and investment, some
migration can be averted or postponed.
In other cases, migration should be
promoted as a practical way of adapting
before it’s too late.
What should be avoided, however,
is inertia. Better policies, strong
leadership, rigorous scientific research,
and international cooperation will help
vulnerable communities make informed
choices about their future – rather than
let climate change decide for them. agData sourced from the Asian Development Bank and Nansen Initiative3PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2008 High Tides
75,000 internally
displaced
INDIA & BANGLADESH
2009 Cyclone Aila
More than 2 million
displaced
PAKISTAN
2010 Monsoon Flood
1.9 million displaced
SOMALIA
2011–2012 Drought
1.3 million internally
displaced, 290,000
to Yemen, Kenya,
Ethiopia and Djibouti
JAPAN
2012 Kyushu Flood and
Landslides
250,000 displaced
PHILIPPINES
2013 Typhoon Haiyan
More than 4 million
internally displaced432561