Buenos Aires – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, launched a study on Migration, Environment and Climate Change this week (1/11). The research was carried out in selected communities within Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

This study aims to generate substantial evidence that will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between migration, the environment and climate change, through the collection of conceptual and empirical knowledge.

“This study is an important contribution to move towards a better understanding of the link between migration, environment and climate change in the region, and a fundamental step for the development of policies, strategies and programs at the local and national level,” said the IOM Regional Director for South America, Diego Beltrand.

Lujan Province, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Community Rumo Certo, Presidente Figueiredo Municipality, Amazonas (Brazil); Monte Patria Municipality of Coquimbo, IV Region (Chile); Tacamocho Municipality of Cordoba, Department of Bolivar (Colombia); and Santa Lucia de Chuquipogyo, Canton of Guano, Province of Chimborazo (Ecuador) are the locations targeted in this study.

The research concluded that in these five communities, there are permanent and/or transitory migratory movements due to the intensification of extreme events caused by climate change. The study also confirmed an important deficit in the information available about the causes and the magnitude of population movements caused by extreme climate changes in South America.

According to the study, there is a very limited coordination between the research and scientific knowledge generated by academics, and the decisions made by public institutions linked to the management of migration and environmental topics.

A fundamental aspect observed during the field work is the active participation of women, at the same level as men, in the identification of needs, and in the search for collective solutions to the problems linked to extreme climate events, as well as the potential displacements arising from these situations. 

The research proposes several recommendations, including the creation of a Regional Committee on Migration and Climate Change to develop policies on risk management, and adaptation and mitigation measures with a gender perspective in South America, designed to implement early warning programs and to assist displaced population groups in situations of extreme climatic events.

The study also recommends the generation and consolidation of multilateral and/or bilateral legislation and agreements that safeguard the rights of environmental migrants, as well as the provision of support for research that continues to provide evidence on the effects of migration, environment and climate change factors on the region.

South America is considered one of the most vulnerable regions to the effects of climate change due to its biodiversity, rapid urban development, inequality in income distribution and the stark division between rural and urban centers.

Download the study: http://bit.ly/2z57OI2

For more information, please contact Juliana Quintero at the IOM Regional Office in Buenos Aires, Tel. + (54) 11 32488134, Email: juquintero@iom.int