Climate-Induced Migration

Climate-Induced Migration in Vulnerable Neighborhoods of Coastal Cities of Sub-Saharan Africa

Project Context and Goals

The nexus of environmental migration and urban policy appears disconnected and underexplored, even as research has documented how migrants in cities are disproportionately affected by climate vulnerability, experience extreme forms of climate injustice, and, in some cases, are actively erased from cities through force or discriminatory policies. The project emphasizes how local communities and cities can respond, prepare for and adapt to absorbing and integrating migrant populations. 

In collaboration with Slum Dwellers International four case studies in informal settlements in Accra, Freetown, Monrovia, and Dar es Salaam, all coastal cities in sub-Saharan Africa, will be produced with the purpose of:

1. Developing more accurate systematic data on human mobility patterns and neighborhood-level conditions in order to provide the baseline information for understanding and implementing resilient strategies that address climate vulnerabilities in destination areas.
2. Identifying the policy-relevance and role of organized community groups for managing local integration processes and addressing tensions between migrant and host communities. 
3. Establishing an action plan for addressing environmental migration and improving the conditions in the destination areas of migrants through the active involvement of local communities in decision-making and planning processes.

This research was supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.