A new report released by the C40 Cities coalition and the Mayors Migration Council has sounded the alarm about the looming impact of climate change on internal migration, particularly in the Global South, Bloomberg reports.
The report paints a grim picture of millions of people fleeing climate-induced disasters and migrating to already overburdened cities, exacerbating existing urban challenges.
The report, which provides city-level climate migration projections, focuses on the Global South, where both climate impacts and urban pressures are particularly acute. It predicts that by 2050, Dhaka, Bangladesh, could see a surge of 3.1 million climate migrants, adding to its already existing population of 12 million. Similarly, Bogotá, Colombia, is expected to receive nearly 600,000 climate migrants, representing a fifth of all internal migrants in the country.
The report outlines the urgent need for action, noting that without significant reductions in global carbon emissions, 10 of the fastest-growing megacities across Africa, South America, South Asia, and the Middle East could experience a combined influx of 8 million internal migrants by mid-century. This influx will further strain local services and accelerate unchecked urbanization.
Adding to the complexity, receiving cities are also facing their own climate challenges. This means incoming migrants, who are likely to settle in vulnerable neighborhoods, will be trading one risky area for another. For example, in Brazil, internal migrants escaping floods, water shortages, and crop failures in rural areas could find themselves in São Paulo, facing dangerous air pollution and wildfires, or in Rio de Janeiro, grappling with extreme heat and flooding in the favelas.
The report offers a glimmer of hope, highlighting that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, could significantly mitigate the impacts of climate migration. For cities like Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, and Karachi, the internal climate migrant population could be three times lower if global emissions meet the Paris Agreement goal.
While some cities are already taking steps to prepare for the influx of climate migrants, the report emphasizes the need for a broader, collaborative approach. Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Accra, Ghana, are supporting informal waste collectors, many of whom are migrants, by providing financial and health resources. Amman, Jordan, known for hosting millions of refugees, is creating green spaces and educational programs for young newcomers. Bangladesh is aiming to divert newcomers to smaller towns near Dhaka to ease the overcrowding.
However, the researchers argue that the burden should not fall solely on receiving cities. They call for national governments and the private sector to play a significant role in reducing climate risks and supporting adaptation measures.
