Human mobility, climate adaptation, and development

Abstract

The emerging debate on climate change and migration is transforming the discourse on migration and development. While the climate-development link has been established since several decades, only recently has the environment become a major issue among migration scholars, driven by climate science and policy. In this new research field, there is a growing need to discuss the climate-migration-development nexus in conjunction. Filling this gap, this special issue builds on the contributions to the ‘Hamburg Conference: Actions for Climate-Induced Migration’ held at the University of Hamburg, 16–18 July 2013. The conference was preceded by the Workshop on ‘Knowledge-Creation and Capacity-Building for Actions in Climate-Induced Migration’ funded by COST Action on ‘Climate Change and Migration’. Both events brought together academic experts and development practitioners from around the world to identify key areas of future research and action to inform policy-making in the field of climate change and migration. Case studies from over 25 countries were presented that highlighted diverse dimensions in different regions. The main outcomes of the conference are summarized in the Hamburg Declaration which categorized the main concerns and issues into 12 key points, followed by a set of recommendations to contribute to constructive agreements and frameworks on climate change and migration (see further information at http://www.climate-service-center.de/038781/index_0038781.html.en).