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How can the local characterisation of climate migrants inform the development of targeted policies to reduce climate-induced migration? This project will develop a multi-criteria model to assess and analyse the actual and potential vulnerability of climate change-induced migration in Honduras’ Dry Corridor.
Photo: Médicos del Mundo/Flickr
The link between climate change and migration has gained attention in the political discourse of recent years. In 2018 alone, million people in 144 countries and territories were newly displaced in the context of sudden-onset disasters.
There is an urgency in implementing international frameworks that address people’s protection under these circumstances. Following this need, efforts turn to regional and national strategies and policies. A prominent example relates to how the governments of the US, Mexico and Central American neighbours have cooperated for over a decade developing strategies to minimize migration to the US, with very little success.
The lack of results in immigration strategies in the region is, partly, due to the current focus on food-aid and border control, instead of on longer-term strategies to address the causes of these mass movements of people. Climate change, amongst others, is a critical factor in this problem, but research is needed to better understand the intersection between climate change and migration in these areas.
We aim to identify local key factors that lead to migration, and use these key factors to build a multi-criteria spatial model to characterise climate change vulnerability in one municipality of the Dry Corridor of Honduras. This project will continue previous work focused on finding livelihood opportunities for women and youth in the agricultural sector under the threats of climate change, in collaboration with the Interamerican Development Bank and the government of Honduras, through their Honduras Strategic Investment Office (INVEST-Honduras).
The approach we adopt goes beyond a regional scale to understand the socioeconomic factors and environmental drivers of migration. We aim to understand the vulnerability of communities to climate change-induced migration at the local scale. The novelty of this study lies in the characterisation of the specific variables that affect and generate climate-induced migration within a local context.
This project is part of SEI seed funding for 2020.
Project / SEI and the IDB join efforts to propose strategies that guarantee gender equity and inclusion of youth to boost rural development in Honduras
SEI brief / A new analysis looks at six countries and identifies the synergies and conflicts between nationally determined contributions and Sustainable Development Goals.
Project / CCEMA brought together migration, environmental and humanitarian communities to raise awareness of the benefits of tackling issues simultaneously.
