Climate Change Impacts and Evidence of Migration in Colombia

Book: People on the Move in a Changing Climate The Regional Impact of Environmental Change on Migration. Eds Etienne Piguet and Franck Laczko, 2014

This literature overview aims to review the relationship between climate change and migration, with a special focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. After a brief history of the debate raised by the relationship between the environment and migration, we identify the main environmental consequences of climate change. In particular, we address the aspects related to tropical storms and hurricanes, floods, droughts, rising sea levels, and, melting glaciers. The paper then proceeds mainly by historical analogy: a summary of the past consequences for migration of these environmental degradations allows us to identify the most important migration issues related to climate change.

Latin America and the challenge of climate migration, 2024

This working paper begins by discussing the complexities of climate migration, including its multi-causal nature and difficulties in attributing decisions to migrate solely to environmental factors. Current evidence on the impact of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean is presented, with an emphasis on the differential impact by region of warmer temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and sea level rise. The particular vulnerabilities of specific population groups-including indigenous groups, women, children and people with disabilities-are discussed. Projections of potential climate migration in Latin America and the Caribbean are analyzed, including analysis of those who are unable or unwilling to migrate. The working paper then considers the potential impact of climate change on Colombia, noting the diverse environmental risks facing the country and the lack of published research on climate migration in particular.

2016

work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC-IGO BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/ legalcode) and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose, as provided below. No derivative work is allowed.

IntechOpen eBooks, 2024

This chapter rigorously examines the influence of climate change on migration dynamics from the Northern Triangle countries-Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemalatowards the southern Mexican and United States borders, analyzed through a national security lens. Utilizing comprehensive analyses of principal diagnostics from the World Bank, the International Organization for Migration, and the United States' strategic climate change response, it anticipates the continuation of climate-induced migration due to socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing climate change. This investigation uniquely evaluates climate migration, integrating a multidisciplinary approach that includes aspects of migration, security, climate change, and development, highlighting the significant impact of climate change on regional mobility trends expected to persist. Despite these challenges, the prioritization of climate change effects in migrant-origin countries remains minimal, overshadowed by the economic benefits of emigration, particularly through international remittances. The chapter also critiques the current lack of comprehensive international or regional policies to mitigate this migration, despite the strategic efforts by the United States to address the issue from a national security perspective. It underscores the complexity of developing a cohesive policy framework that addresses climate change, migration, rights, and employment, emphasizing the necessity of promoting labor mobility in the face of economic and environmental pressures.

Climatic Change, 2008

Previous research has postulated that climate change will lead to mass migration. However, the linkages postulated between the two have not been explicitly demonstrated but have rather been derived from 'common sense'. In this paper, the connection between climate change and migration via two mechanisms, sea level rise and floods, is investigated and depicted in conceptual models. In both cases, a connection can be traced and the linkages are made explicit. However, the study also clearly shows that the connection is by no means deterministic but depends on numerous factors relating to the vulnerability of the people and the region in question.

2011

2019

International system has been facing a plethora of challenges since the beginning of the 21st century. Climate change and migration are among the crucial problems threatening the integrity of the system. Moreover, environmental and humanitarian crises have been triggered due to the global and transboundary effects of climate change and migration. This study argues that the nexus of climate change and migration is one great issue that requires the state to adopt a new governance approach to tackle with these problems. In this context, the study focuses on the different terms used in migration literature and the conceptualization of interrelation between migration and climate change with a descriptive method. The study aims to reveal vital problems by examining some hotspots where the migration flows happen as a result of climate change and its impacts. However, the study considers the potential positive effects of migration, as well. It is argued that for the state to respond to the ...

Background paper for De la Torre, A., P. …, 2008

Refugee Survey Quarterly , 2011

Climate change has become a major concern for the international community. Among its consequences, its impact on migration is the object of increasing attention from both policy-makers and researchers. Yet, knowledge in this field remains limited and fragmented. This article therefore provides an overview of the climate changemigration nexus: on the basis of available empirical findings, it investigates the key issues at stake, including the social and political context in which the topic emerged; States' policy responses and the views of different institutional actors; critical perspectives on the actual relationship between the environment and (forced) migration; the concepts and notions most adequate to address this relationship; gender and human rights implications; as well as international law and policy orientations. Two major interconnected arguments arise. The first regards the weight of environmental and climatic factors in migration and their relationship to other push or pull factors, whether of a social, political, or economic nature. The second is about the political framework in which such migration flows should take place and the manner in which to treat the people who move in connection with environmental factors. The two issues are deeply intertwined, as the extent to which the environment determines migration is intimately connected to the status to be associated with the people concerned.