Impact of climate change on migration and health

Climate change is not only increasing ambient temperature but also accelerating the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme weather and climate events, such as heavy precipitation and droughts, and causing sea level rise, which can lead to population displacement. It acts as a threat multiplier. Climate change accelerates the displacement of population due to the extreme weather events and resource constraints. The extreme weather events such as sea-level rise, increased soil salinization, and desertification make land uninhabitable, forcing agricultural communities to relocate.

In the year 2020 alone, over 40.5 million people were forced to relocate, with 30.7 million of them being directly impacted by natural hazards (Almulhim et al., 2024). Floods and storms were responsible for the displacement of 14 million individuals each, with Asia and the Pacific being severely affected regions, experiencing substantial human displacement and damage to buildings and infrastructure. Climate change reduces food and water security, which can lead to political instability and conflict, further driving populations to migrate in search of safety and basic necessities (Checking Your Browser - reCAPTCHA, 2024).

The migrant’s physical and mental health is always at risk due to the change in climate, harsh unfamiliar weather, and inadequate shelter during transit. Lack of health services at the destination increases the chance of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The International Institute for Applied System Analysis reported that many climate-induced migrants move to urban areas, contributing to the accelerated urbanization trends observed in numerous countries (Climate Change Impacts Internal Migration Worldwide, 2024).

REFERENCE:

• Semenza, J. C., & Ebi, K. L. (2019). Climate change impact on migration, travel, travel destinations and the tourism industry. Journal of Travel Medicine, 26(5). //doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taz026
• Climate change impacts internal migration worldwide. (2024). IIASA - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. //iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2024/climate-change-impacts-internal-migration-worldwide
• Almulhim, A. I., Alverio, G. N., Sharifi, A., Shaw, R., Huq, S., Mahmud, M. J., Ahmad, S., & Abubakar, I. R. (2024). Climate-induced migration in the Global South: an in depth analysis. Npj Climate Action, 3(1). //doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00133-1