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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Climate Change and Human Migration
Climate change is increasingly forcing people to leave their homes and communities. Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, droughts and other climate-related hazards are making parts of our planet uninhabitable, creating one of the biggest humanitarian challenges of our time.
Key Definitions:
Temporary displacement: People move for a short time after a disaster but return when conditions improve.
Permanent relocation: Communities must permanently abandon their homes due to irreversible environmental changes.
Planned migration: Organised movement of communities from high-risk areas.
Distress migration: Urgent, unplanned movement due to immediate threats.
Sea-level rise: Threatens coastal communities and small island nations.
Extreme weather events: Hurricanes, floods and storms destroying homes and infrastructure.
Drought and water scarcity: Making agriculture impossible and threatening water security.
Desertification: Turning once-fertile land into desert, making it uninhabitable.
Some regions of the world are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced migration. These areas often have a combination of high exposure to climate hazards, large populations and limited resources to adapt.
Nations like Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Maldives face existential threats from rising sea levels. Some islands may become completely uninhabitable within decades, forcing entire populations to relocate.
Densely populated coastal regions in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Egypt are experiencing saltwater intrusion, flooding and erosion, displacing millions of people inland.
The Sahel region of Africa, parts of the Middle East and Central America are seeing increasing drought conditions, making farming difficult and triggering migration to cities or other countries.
Climate migration affects people in profound ways, disrupting lives and creating complex social challenges:
Bangladesh is one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries. Rising sea levels, cyclones and flooding in coastal areas are forcing around 700,000 Bangladeshis to migrate each year.
The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, home to millions, is increasingly affected by saltwater intrusion, making traditional rice farming impossible. Many farmers have lost their livelihoods and moved to overcrowded cities like Dhaka.
Dhaka, already one of the world's most densely populated cities, receives 400,000-500,000 migrants annually, many fleeing climate impacts. These migrants often end up in slums with poor sanitation, limited clean water and few job opportunities.
The government has developed the "Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan" which includes managed retreat from the most vulnerable areas and creating climate-resilient infrastructure.
One of the biggest challenges for climate migrants is their unclear legal status under international law:
Global Compact for Migration (2018): First UN agreement to recognise climate migration, though non-binding.
Platform on Disaster Displacement: Working to implement protection for people displaced by disasters.
Nansen Initiative: Developing protection agenda for people displaced by disasters.
Paris Agreement: Established a task force on climate displacement.
Climate-resilient agriculture: Drought-resistant crops and sustainable farming techniques.
Coastal defences: Sea walls, mangrove restoration and elevated buildings.
Planned relocation: Moving communities from high-risk areas in an organised way.
Diversifying livelihoods: Helping people develop skills less dependent on climate-sensitive activities.
The scale of future climate migration depends on how quickly we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how effectively communities adapt to climate change:
The Republic of Kiribati, a low-lying Pacific island nation, faces existential threats from sea-level rise. With an average elevation of just 2 metres above sea level, much of the country could become uninhabitable within decades.
In response, the Kiribati government has developed a "Migration with Dignity" policy, which includes:
This case highlights the difficult choices faced by communities on the frontlines of climate change, where adaptation has limits and planned relocation becomes necessary.
Tackling climate migration requires action at multiple levels:
Climate migration represents one of the most significant humanitarian challenges of our century. By understanding its causes and impacts, we can work toward solutions that protect the rights and dignity of those forced to leave their homes due to our changing climate.
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