European Institute for Human Rights

Tag: Drought

  • The Impact of Climate Change on Forced Migration in the Sahel: Human RightsPerspective (Nigeria as a Case Study)

    The Impact of Climate Change on Forced Migration in the Sahel: Human RightsPerspective (Nigeria as a Case Study)

    Noticing how climate change casts a shadow on Nigeria’s Sahel region, driving environmental degradation, disrupting livelihoods, and displacing communities, with grave consequences, leaving the most vulnerable in the society square up against human rights abuses in their search to escape their environmental misfortune, the authors saw imperative to study the phenomena.

    This narrative review examines the human rights dimensions of climate change–induced migration in Nigeria’s Sahel region, where environmental degradation, livelihood disruption, and displacement have intensified. Anchored in environmental migration theory, a human rights–based approach, intersectionality theory, and governance and policy theory, it explores the drivers, impacts, and potential solutions to this complex issue.

    Droughts, desertification, and erratic rainfall were identified as major environmental factors forcing communities to migrate. Climate change is shown to severely affect livelihoods and food security, raising serious human rights concerns related to access to food, water, health, and education, particularly for vulnerable groups.

    Study results emphasize the need for a comprehensive response that combines climate mitigation and adaptation, stronger legal protections for climate migrants, humanitarian assistance, and investment in sustainable development, and it is concluded that improved collaboration and policy action among stakeholders are essential to address root causes, protect human rights, and ensure that equity and inclusion guide all interventions.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.3968/13313

    Reference

    Nenger, Jerome A., Nancy U. Odimegwu and Casmir N. Nwankwo (2024), “The Impact of Climate Change on Forced Migration in the Sahel: Human Rights
    Perspective (Nigeria as a case study)”, Canadian Social Science
    Vol. 20, No. 1, 2024, pp. 23-31

  • Drought and Aridity Influence Internal Migration Worldwide

    Drought and Aridity Influence Internal Migration Worldwide

    While the effects of climate change on migration have attracted wide attention, comparative evidence on their role in internal migration remains scarce.

    Using census-based data from 72 countries (1960–2016) and 107,840 migration flows between subnational regions, this study shows that increased drought and aridity significantly influence internal migration, particularly in hyper-arid and arid regions of Southern Europe, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.

    It is evident that migration patterns are shaped by the wealth, agricultural dependence, and level of urbanization of both origin and destination areas, with stronger responses in rural and agricultural regions.

    And although climatic effects on migration are generally stronger in richer countries, poorer regions tend to experience higher out-migration toward wealthier areas within the same country.

    Furthermore, age and education groups respond differently to climatic stress, revealing distinct mobility patterns across population subgroups and geographic contexts.

    Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02165-1

    Reference

    Hoffmann, R., Abel, G., Malpede, M. et al. Drought and aridity influence internal migration worldwide. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 1245–1253 (2024)