Global Experience in State Regulation of Climate Migration Processes

Large scale human mobility is being accelerated by climate change, presenting multifaceted social and economic questions for states. There are significant gaps in protection as no global legal status for climate migrants exists; this continues to be overlooked despite increasing awareness amongst states. To fill this gap, we examine the similarities and differences in climate migration regulations between developed and developing countries and through a qualitative analysis of peer-reviewed literature on international policy documents and reports produced by institutions such as the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The breakdown reveals that developed countries favour legal approaches, drawing on temporary protection programs, humanitarian admission and national strategies to cope with climate change, while developing countries adopt a wider range of emergency and adaptation measures and are concerned about international assistance. Prioritizing unregulated climate displacement leads to infrastructure, labor market, and social system pressures, while well designed migration programs can deliver significant fiscal net contributions (which may indicate that the fiscal impact of unmanaged climate displacement leads to pressure on infrastructure, labor markets and social systems. The point estimates presented here should be regarded as conservative, highlighting climate migration as a humanitarian issue, an economic reality, and an area requiring coordinated action. Effective governance requires combining legal protection, long term adaptation planning and facilitated action by states, NGOs, and the international organization, concludes the study. The sustainable and rights based management of migration requires strong national legislation and an internationally recognized status for climate migrants.