The April 6th conference, "Putting Contemporary Climate Migration In Context: Insights from Two Decades of Research,", delivered by Professor Amanda Carrico of the University of Colorado, was an exceptional platform that provided a deep understanding of the impact of climate change on global migration patterns. Professor Carrico's captivating presentation was attended by some 30 people. It commenced with the recognition that migration has been an age-old practice for accessing economic opportunities or evading risks, including environmental factors. However, the onset of climate change has intensified the volume and velocity of migration globally, with climate stress becoming a primary driver of human mobility.
The lecture focused on two core themes. First, Carrico explored the relationship between climate stress and mobility globally. She emphasized that migration serves as an adaptation strategy to climate change that profoundly affects the resilience of ascending regions. Second, she examined the specific case of Bangladesh, where climate change has a critical impact on migration.
Carrico's findings indicated that climate stressors are one of the factors that influence migration from Bangladesh to Europe, but they are relatively small compared to other factors such as wealth, demographic characteristics of the individual, age, whether they have children in the home, marriage, education, or training. However, slow-onset environmental stressors such as heat waves or drought are more strongly related to migration than rapid-onset stressors such as major storms. This is because slow-onset stressors cause incremental, smaller, and more incremental damage over time, while rapid-onset stressors are more unpredictable and heterogeneous in terms of their effects on different categories of people within the community.
It is noteworthy that families tend to send migrants to urban areas, who remain connected to the original household, and remittances are being sent back home. These remittances are utilized to diversify risks and livelihoods, providing an added layer of financial security. For instance, if a son is working in an urban area, earning money from a source that's disconnected from the climate conditions in the origin village where the family is farming, then the family has diversified their portfolio of resources.
Carrico also highlighted projections by the media on the scale of climate migration and displacement that may occur in the coming century. Estimates suggest there are around 750 million migrants worldwide, with approximately 70 million forcibly displaced, and around 250 million cross-border migrants. The scale of these numbers implies that climate change is substantially changing the patterns and processes of migration and that migration serves as a viable adaptation strategy to climate change.
The lecture ultimately provided a valuable platform to gain insights into the impact of climate change on mobility, specifically in Bangladesh. The findings suggest that climate stressors are one of the factors that influence migration, but they are relatively small compared to other factors. Migration is often for adaptation purposes, and people tend to choose internal destinations that are regional urban areas or the national capital, allowing them to earn money, recover lost earnings, shore up resources, and manage their livelihoods within their origin while remaining connected to their origin households.
This event was a compelling reminder that climate change has significant and pervasive impacts on migration patterns and serves as an impetus for policymakers to address climate change and its impacts. The information gleaned from this conference is crucial for policymakers and researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between climate change and human mobility. As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, it is essential to continue to explore the impact of climate change on human migration, develop policies to mitigate the impacts, and promote sustainable adaptation strategies.