As more and more people are affected by climate change, the need to understand and prepare for climate-related migration has increased. This inform aims to complement existing research by providing a broader perspective on how EMN and OECD Member Countries address challenges related to migration and climate change.
According to the UNHCR, extreme weather events, such as abnormally intense rainfall, prolonged droughts, heat waves and cyclones are linked to the displacement of approximately 20 million+ people annually. Despite the fact that more people are affected by climate change, it is difficult to directly link environmental degradation to displacement or people's decision to migrate because of the complex interaction between environmental and other factors that can drive migration.
The new EMN inform Displacement and migration related disasters, climate change and environmental degradation maps current legal, policy and organisational frameworks and practices in the EMN Member Countries and other non-EU OECD countries addressing climate-related migration and displacement. It also contains information on relevant projects and international cooperation efforts as well as an overview of main initiatives implemented at the national level.
Based on the inform, none of the reporting EMN Member Countries, except Italy, have specific national legislation in place on climate-related migration and displacement caused by climate change, nor have they implemented or planned any specific measures to host third-country nationals that might be affected by climate change or climate disasters.
Several countries, nonetheless, have protection grounds in place that may be invoked in the case of climate-related migration, or that may be used to prevent the return of third-country nationals. For instance, the Czech Republic and Lithuania reported that international protection is occasionally granted on other bases, for example on humanitarian grounds.
In some EMN Member Countries, there are national bodies, NGOs and research institutes that deal with primary research and analysis of this phenomenon. The EMN and OECD Member Countries address the topic within the framework of development cooperation and humanitarian aid policies. Numerous initiatives with the countries of origin are also taking place, aiming above all to make their populations more prepared and resilient and to reduce the effects of environmental crises.