Cities in low and middle income countries need sustained financial support and innovative strategies to reduce their vulnerability and better prepare for migration, including the positive role it plays as an adaptation strategy to climate change. Most importantly, “multi-stakeholder partnerships that include displaced people in the process” will be a key component of helping overwhelmed communities deal with increasing migration from rural areas.

A large share of climate-induced migration involves people moving from relatively rural areas to urban areas, often within a given country or region. While cities around the world are faced with this trend, many ‘urban hot spots’ of migration will occur in rapidly expanding cities in so-called developing countries, dubbed “fragile cities” by urban development expert Robert Muggah. These cities are characterized by their limited capacity to prepare, including existing issues of inequality, lack of access to services, and already facing direct threats as a result of climate change such as storm surge risk. For example, many African cities facing increasing climate migration are among the fastest growing in the world, but are also susceptible to sea level rise and fresh water shortages, among other climate challenges. They also generally lack adequate housing, education, and healthcare services. Climate migrants arriving in these ‘fragile cities’ may experience increased vulnerability as they find it particularly difficult to deal with the negative impacts facing the city at large, along with the existing urban poor. 

While historically the response to internal displacement related to weather and the environment has been to provide emergency and other short-term assistance, it is clear that empowering migrants to be self-reliant is a more appropriate and sustainable approach. Strong governance, resilience strategies, environmental protection, economic diversification, and social support can help “prevent disasters and unwanted displacement,” according to a recent policy brief from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

Early warning systems for sudden onset events like floods, investing in crop alternatives rather than monoculture, and erecting flood barriers are just a few examples of potentially effective strategies. Regarding migration, where it is used as a positive adaptation measure, it must be properly planned and managed, according to ISS’ Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo. 

One particularly promising model comes from the Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI), created by the UN and the government of Somalia in 2016 to work towards long-term solutions for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia. The DSI aims to build much-needed capacity of government at all levels -  local, state/regional, and national - to facilitate the integration of IDPs into society, supported by UN agencies and the World Bank. Although the ideals of the program are not yet fully realized, importantly, DSI allows those impacted by climate change and migration to have a voice in the decision-making process. Funding is made available for initiatives that allow migrants to present their own ideas for community infrastructure projects and measures to become self-reliant, what DSI Somalia’s coordinator officer Isabelle Peter calls a “participatory, locally owned approach.” 

DSI has already seen notable success. In evaluating one project called Midnimo I, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found it had led to employment opportunities, the construction of various important community infrastructure, helped establish a land commission, and fostered better relations between migrant communities and authorities. In all, some 350,000 people directly benefited from the program. Overall, DSI’s success thus far led Ethiopia to replicate it in late 2019.

Even as we celebrate the successes of DSI and similar approaches, and their potential to be an effective model in various cities around the world, it is important to keep ongoing challenges in mind. Operationally, funding must be adequate and reliable and greater investment in urban planning is needed. Part of this includes wealthy countries recognizing that “climate change hazards are directly linked to poverty dynamics,” requiring investment across various sectors. Migrants’ needs must remain a key part of the process, with human rights considerations front and center. As Mbiyozo writes about African cities facing these challenges, “international frameworks often don’t reflect African realities.” Top down approaches will simply not suffice.

Despite the challenges, DSI and other participatory strategies demonstrate that so-called ‘fragile cities’ have a productive and positive way forward on issues at the intersection of climate, migration, and urban planning, in a way that helps both existing residents and future new arrivals. 

Migration is a right and the key here is to limit the impacts of climate change as a driver of forced migration. Supporting countries at-risk to take into account human mobility - from displacement and migration to planned relocation - in climate change adaptation strategies is paramount on the international community. (Ensia - University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, ISS Today - Institute for Security Studies)

Related: Check out our recent SPOTLIGHT piece on equity and gentrification concerns for cities at the forefront of the climate crisis.