Climate-Related Migration: Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Destinations

Climate-related migration is increasing the scale and, in some cases, changing the patterns of migration. In addition to the need for supporting adaptation in sending communities, there is an imperative to better prepare for and support migrants in urban destinations. This paper provides analysis and evidence of climate-related migration in developing countries, with a focus on supporting migrants and receiving communities in urban destinations through policy and programming. It complements related USAID and U.S. Government policies, strategies, and analyses, including the:

• USAID Climate Strategy (2022-2030),
• White House Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration,
• USAID Migration as a Climate Adaptation Strategy report,
• USAID People on the Move report, and
• President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE).

There are important reasons for USAID to place greater focus on climate-related migration to urban areas. The world is witnessing the highest levels of migration on record and climate change impacts are projected to increasingly drive migration. A lack of preparation for the growth in migration to increasingly crowded cities will exacerbate current social, economic, and environmental stresses (C40 et al., 2022). Additionally, migrants are often overlooked in discussions about urbanization and urban governance or viewed as a problem rather than a potential asset (Tacoli et al., 2015). A common perception is that urban migration contributes to shortages in housing, jobs, education and other social services. This can result in tensions with receiving communities and missed opportunities for realizing the benefits of migration. Finally, urban areas will be disproportionately affected as they experience substantial migration from rural areas that are adversely affected by climate change.

Preparing for these increased movements now will help cities thrive in the years ahead (Ratha et al., 2022). Evidence points to a range of potential benefits of migration for migrants, as well as sending and receiving communities.1 It suggests that internal migration in lower and middle-income countries is often beneficial for development and can offer solutions to some of the economic and demographic challenges facing USAID partner countries. How migration influences development, however, can be complex. For example, rural to urban migration patterns have been associated with higher education and income, but decreased security and air quality (Lagakos, 2020).

A coordinated response to climate-related migration is a critical part of USAID’s commitment to climate action. The USAID Climate Strategy (2022-2030), for example, notes that the Agency is “increasing its focus on climate-related migration through research and analytics, program responses, and attention to migration affected populations including sending communities, receiving communities and potentially trapped populations unable to move in the face of climate impacts.”