Migration: a critical climate change resilience strategy

African regions vulnerable to climate change should prepare for out-migration, while more resilient cities must plan for in-migration.

Movement is a critical resilience strategy for communities and individuals faced with climate change. Most discussions about climate-linked migration focus on international movements; however, it is an overwhelmingly local phenomenon. Migration is an important adaptation strategy that should be enabled. African cities, countries and regions need to incorporate climate-linked migration into all aspects of their planning.

About the author

Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo is a Senior Research Consultant at the Institute for Security Studies. She is a migration expert whose research covers a broad range of intersecting issues, including climate change, gender, refugee rights, violent extremism and citizenship in high-flow regions such as Africa, the Middle East and Asia.