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International Journal of
Population Studies Climate change, migration, and displacement

are stuck somewhere in between. To fill these voids, it (Foresight, 2011). A rights-based approach to migration
is essential for migration governance to transform and governance enables the climate migration actors to not
include climate-related migration within its paradigm and only cater to the urgent humanitarian aspects of climate
assist in providing legal protection for climate migrants migrants but also to address the long-term and more
under the existing international legal instruments. This structural changes needed to address the concerns about
will entail the addition of provisions in the refugee law, climate change.
such as the 1951 Refugee Convention, to address the issue
of environmental refugees, which is currently lacking. 5. Toward a coherent policy framework
On a national scale, migration policies should become 5.1. Integrating climate and migration policies
more flexible and responsive toward climate displacement A multilevel policy approach and a host of policy
migration (White, 2011). For example, addressing integration measures help to succeed in a complex
migration due to climate-induced adverse conditions policy environment. Policies on migration and climate
should involve establishing consistent migration change should be mainstreamed in the relevant national
governance regimes. It could mean upholding measures development, national disaster management, and state
that encourage the movement of people within the country housing policies (Sarkar & Danda, 2023). This holistic
during periods of environmental shocks such as droughts approach would ensure that climate migrants are not seen
or floods temporarily with an option for permanent as a physical force, whose needs are separate and therefore
displacement if there are no substantial improvements needs to be addressed individually. Policymakers ought
subsequently. For example, New Zealand has already set to take migration as an adaptation approach and help in
up a climate migration visa for Barbadian people who are facilitating it by strengthening livelihood management
facing an increasing risk of climate change (Dempster & (Eckstein et al. 2021). For instance, such trends as
Ober, 2020). Creating legal channels for climate migrants temporary migration or seasonal labor migration can
and stability in the region can thus be achieved through provide households with an opportunity to enhance the
the imposition of such policies more widely with specific range of possible sources of income further and diminish
legal provisions in place. International partnerships must the households’ dependencies on environmentally induced
therefore be reinforced. It is recognized that migration stress.
resulting from climate change is a problem of global This increasing overlap between climate change and
dimensions (Warner et al., 2009). For this reason, it is
essential for nations to come up with burden-sharing migration gives rise to the requirement of combining
climate and migration policy to promote a wider, risk-
mechanisms and other measures that will help provide aware policymaking approach (Mugambiwa & Makhubele,
capacity building and resources to countries facing 2023). Climate change has epistemically expanded beyond
overwhelming changes in climate. Specifically in the area simply being an environmental issue because its impacts
of climate migration, fostering frameworks such as the are now sociologically, economically, and politically
GCM and the Paris Agreement is necessary but must be engendered, influencing migration patterns among people
backed with more tangible pledges and resources. Besides, (Martin, 2010). However, most existing economies do not
increasing the scope of the mandate of international integrate climate change and migration policies as two
bodies such as UNHCR concerned with the issue of forced sides of the same coin, causing inadequate intervention
migration to also include climate refugees will ensure that to address challenges that drive displacement. To
relief is available to such groups.
engender better responses, policymakers need to shift to
In the same vein, migration governance must safeguard a unitary framework that appropriately combines climate
the fundamental rights of climate migrants above all, adaptation and migration governance in a manner that
making sure that these persons are treated properly during ensures optimum protection of at-risk populations. In the
the entire process of being displaced (Mianabadi et al., 2022; process of incorporating migration policy into climate
McLeman, 2018; Burrows and Kinney, 2016). That includes strategies, mainstreaming is a fundamental step of climate
meeting their basic needs such as health care, education, risk assessment in ascertaining when and where such
and housing provision along with the preservation of planning occurs, whether at the national, regional, or
their legal protections in the host country’s government. even international level (McAdams, 2011). Governments
Governments and international organizations should and the international community should, in particular
seek the removal of migratory discrimination among the regions of climate variability and change, make an effort to
existing groups and help to resettle the displaced people ascertain populations that are expected to be displaced, and
to target regions without creating social disintegration who, therefore, need security against the effects of climate

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 11 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5165