CLARS Partner at COP29 Advocates for Climate-Related Migration as a Choice
Postdam, Germany. November 22, 2024.
Written by; Dr. Julia Blocher
Photo credit Jaclyn Licht/Global Centre for Climate Mobility
CLARS Project Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Julia M. Blocher, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), presented cutting edge research on climate-related migration at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), more commonly known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024.
“Habitability is not experienced uniformly across communities, rather, it is shaped by intersecting social, economic and cultural factors that vary considerably within communities - such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, and being part of Indigenous groups,” said Blocher at an official side event of the COP linking uninhabitability of climate-affected regions to tipping points for out-migration. “In climate hotspots, even reactive migration can be part of successful adaptation strategies.”
Another event entitled “Shaping Our Vision for Climate Mobility” hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), underlined the role of migration as an adaptive strategy for some people facing severe climate impacts. It emphasized the need to develop climate mobility policies that fully address the rights and unique needs of individuals, ensuring they are protected and supported throughout every stage of migration and displacement due to climate change. On the stage, Dr. Blocher joined Ms. Amy Pope, Director General of the IOM; Mr. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General and CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Ms. Laura Pavlovic, USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator; Ms. Elisa Morgera, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change; and Mr. Israel Baelongandi, COP29 Youth Climate Delegate.
“Positive migration experiences must be supported at multiple steps along the journey, and governments and their partners can do a lot to foster the conditions for migration to support adaptive capacities for migrants, origin areas, and destinations,” said Blocher. “Climate mobility – when supported appropriately – can be a development opportunity, not just a crisis response. At the same time, we have to consider those who need protection as well as the impacts human mobility have on cultural heritage and social cohesion. And we have to include the voices of affected people in all stages of knowledge development and policy design.”
Dr. Blocher joined the event “Protecting the Right to Stay – Mitigating Climate Mobility Risks: Climate Mobility & Water Security” hosted at the Climate Mobility Pavilion, experts from civil society and governments, notably including H.E. Rita Mishaan, Special Envoy for Climate and Environment from Guatemala; Ms. Rita Missal, Global Recovery Advisor, UN Development Programme; Ms. Marta Zaragoza, Swiss Ambassador for the 1 Million Youth Action Challenge; and Dr. Laura Basco Carrera, Senior Coordinator of the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM).
Within the context of ensuring water security for people on the move as well as preventing the forced migration of water-scarce communities, Dr. Blocher announced the recent initiation of the CLARS project. “Clearly there is a need to support water management in vulnerable, climate-affected areas as not everyone has the capacity to invest household resources in this,” she said. “In this vein, I am happy that the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has recently begun work on the project Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategies (CLARS), co-funded by the German Research Foundation (along with New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF, CA), National Science Foundation (NSF, USA) & UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) , to explore rural-to-urban migration in lake regions in East Africa and the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada, to promote South-North knowledge exchange on this topic.”