In January Righst & Security International (RSI) and the Rise Coalition hosted the webinar, Climate-linked migration: rethinking the security framework.

Thank you to our moderator and panellists:

Ian Fry: Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change

Ezekiel Simperingham: Global Lead on Migration and Displacement for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Beatriz Felipe Pérez: Researcher and co-founder of CICrA Justicia Ambiental

Lorraine Elliott: Professor Emerita, Australian National University

and Declan Owens (Moderator): RSI's Northern Ireland Human Rights Officer and CEO of Ecojustice Ireland

Further information:
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the number of new internal displacements associated with natural disasters – such as floods, hurricanes and extreme temperature – reached a total of 17.2 million people in 2018 almost double those caused directly by violence and political persecution. The UN Refugee Agency has forecast an increase of the annual average of the people forcibly displaced by weather-related events.

This increase in climate-related migration flows from countries in the Global South is exacerbating the rhetoric around the ‘migration crisis’, cementing governments’ 'security’-focused approach and the treatment of migrants as a negative consequence of climate change. In addition, the rise of global temperatures puts pressure on governments to rethink what ‘national security’ means in the era of climate change.

Although some organisations advocate for a debate over climate-linked migration detached from a security framework, due to entrenched negative associations with the term ‘security’, others point to a window of opportunity to create fresh discussions around climate change, migration and national security. A report by the UK Climate Change & Migration Coalition, a group of CSOs working for the rights of climate migrants, includes among its recommendations the use of a comprehensive security framework that presents migrants as part of the efforts of adaptation to climate change. A human-rights-based approach will be fundamental to advocating for migration policies that comply with international human rights laws and creating a more inclusive vision of security.

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