The effects of climate change on migration have received increasing attention within political as well as public discussions during the last three decades. Combating climate change and minimizing its effects is, for example, one of Sweden’s main political priorities as the country takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2023. But do prognoses that guide the work and discussions on mitigating climate change-induced migration align with patterns that we see today?
According to recent estimations, around 300 million people were displaced due to natural disasters between 2008 and 2021. Only a small fraction of these migrants crossed international borders and most were readily able to return to their region of origin. However, migration as a consequence of slow onset climate change is hard to measure as displacement is almost always brought about by a complex mix of factors. This leads to the questions that will be the focus of the seminar on November 8th: What can estimations and predictions on climate induced displacements actually tell us? And to what extent can policy makers and politicians depend on them when formulating policies and creating legal frameworks?
During the seminar, researchers Mathias Czaika and Rainer Münz, will present findings and insights from their Delmi-commissioned study Climate Change, Displacement, Mobility and Migration: The State of Evidence, Future Scenarios, Policy Options.
Participants
Mathias Czaika, university professor in migration and integration and head of the Department for migration and globalisation at Danube University Krems, Austria.
Rainer Münz, expert in demography and international migration and current visiting professor at the Central European University and the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, Austria.
Salvatore Petronella, Strategic advisor, Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP) Europe.
Gisela Thäter, Senior legal Officer, UNHCR.
Maria van Berlekom, Head of Unit for Global Cooperation on Environment, Sida.
Maxine Leis, Doctoral Student, Department of Peace and Conflict Research (Uppsala University), Mistra Geopolitics Research School.
Moderator: Joakim Palme, professor of political science at Uppsala University and chair of Delmi.
Photo by Thiago Matos from Pexels