Walking into the eye of the storm: How the climate crisis is driving child migration and displacement
This report seeks to respond to this knowledge gap on the specific vulnerabilities of children and youth within the context of climate-driven displacement and provide a new, child-focused perspective. It places children’s voices at the heart of the study, speaking directly to 239 children, from 5 different countries and continents living in different types of climate conditions. In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration – with millions of people displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural disruption. Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion children live in an area at high risk of flooding, severe drought, or other climate threats that pose a serious risk to lives and livelihoods.
This report provides an extensive list of recommendations for policymakers, development practitioners, the private sector, and other stakeholders. There is an urgent need to adopt a ‘hotspots’ approach that focuses not just on a country or regional approach but on high climate-risk settings and supports the most vulnerable and at-risk children and families to prepare for displacement or migration. Tailored, child-focused programmes are needed to meet the specific vulnerabilities and needs of children of every background at every stage of displacement and action. Governments must not only scale up climate finance, but also actively support the rights and needs of children affected by climate-related migration and displacement. The humanitarian-development sector too will see an increasing need to scale up its support and operations in support of children affected by climate-driven migration as climate impacts become more common.