Climate change is affecting internal migration around the world, an analysis of census data reveals

The impact of climate change on migration, both current and future, has received considerable public and political attention in the last decade. A new IIASA-led study has provided the first comprehensive analysis of how climate factors—specifically drought and drought—affect internal migration.

While public debate often focuses on international migration, existing scientific evidence suggests that when climate factors drive migration, it often results in short-distance movements within national borders. However, there is a lack of scientific studies investigating climate-induced internal migration in different countries.

A new study published in Nature Climate Change used census microdata from 72 countries between 1960 and 2016 to provide the first global assessment of how environmental stress affects migration across national borders.

“Our analysis shows that internal migration – which we defined as movement between sub-national regions within a country – is increasing in regions affected by drought and aridification, especially in hyperarid and arid regions. The effects are most pronounced in agriculturally dependent and rural areas. " where livelihoods are very sensitive to changing climatic conditions. (Ansa Heyl, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, more at phys.org)