Climate change and cross border migration

What is it about?

In current times, climate change and cross border migration are two major issues impacting the economy of many countries. Several local and external factors drive migration, such as poverty, political turmoil, and conflicts. This is made worse by climate disasters, which also affect the overall living conditions in these countries. This paper sheds light on how these disasters impact cross border migration and how this migration is linked to the economy of a country.

Featured Image

Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash

Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash

Why is it important?

First the paper shows that the drivers of migration differ for developing and developed countries. Migration from the former is driven by the conditions in the origin and destination country and global factors. But migration from the latter is mainly driven by global shocks. It was also found that climate disasters add to the local shocks, which has a strong impact on the total migration. This means that more regular disasters cause more migration from the affected country. This is mostly seen in poor and developing countries than in advanced countries. The reason for this is that the former have preexisting social and development challenges that worsen due to climate change. While the latter have better infrastructure to survive climate shocks. Such migration is seen in both genders, but with a greater impact on males. This kind of migration also explains the overall effect of climate change on a country's economy. It is linked to lower farming output and higher disparity, with more inflow of money sent home by migrants. Thus, the paper urges for more funds for climate resilience to reduce the impacts of climate change on cross border migration. KEY TAKEAWAY: Climate change and cross-border migration are two complex and inter-related issues that affect a range of social and economic issues. Disclaimer - This summary was prepared by Kudos Innovations Ltd and does not necessarily represent the views of International Monetary Fund (IMF).