One of the most vulnerable regions to climate change is the African continent. It has a high dependence on agriculture, occupying around 60% of the African working age population and a high-risk profession due to its subservience to the environment and weather patterns [2]. Higher temperatures, sea-level rise, and lower rain cycles affect crop yields and household income that families depend on to live. As a result of these frequent climate extremes, people are forced to seek refuge in other lands and migrate from their homes. According to the Institute for Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University, climate migrants are described as being individuals who seek refuge away from their homes due to climate stressors [1]. This term is not legally considered under international refugee law. As climate change continues to aggravate, the African demographics are changing due to people seeking shelter, opportunities, and even access to water elsewhere as a coping mechanism. In continuation, we will take a closer look at the Sahel Belt in Western Africa.

The Sahel Belt is composed of nations such as Mauritania, Mali, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Eritrea. It is an area which heavily relies on agriculture production for its economic stability, and recent climate phenomena such as higher temperatures, increase in catastrophic events, and soil erosion have caused agricultural activity to greatly decline [2]. This has caused households to lose the usual incomes they relied on, thus affecting the regional economy and food sources of millions. Individuals from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad are moving towards Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana as a result of climate change impact in search of more sustainable climates in these areas. It’s no surprise then that the bulk of migration in West Africa, being 84%, is intra-regional [2]. Taking a particular case study, let’s analyze North Eastern Nigeria where 6 million people have been unwillingly displaced as a result of extreme flooding and high temperatures. Of these, 500,000 people were displaced in Chad, a country already struggling with a lack-of-water crisis. Lake Chad, an important water source for 25 million people, has decreased in size by 90% since the 1960’s, displacing 2.5 million people who are in search of abundant natural resources [3]. Africa’s current population is 1.2 billion and increasing, which means that these numbers are greatly changing the demographics and habitable regions of this continent.

In terms of finding a solution to this rapid-rising problem, it is important to start from a legislative perspective on national, regional, and local levels. Developmental policy and sustainable adaptation strategies need to acknowledge and recognize the direct problem that climate change is having on the mobility of the population in the Sahel region. Nations and societies must come together to adequately provide assistance for migrants, and more importantly create mitigation and adaptation measures that protect the environment and people. African nations must integrate into global value chains, such as the Paris Agreement, and bring attention to this phenomenon as a means to finally have it identified in international law, which would greatly facilitate the recognition of status for environmental refugees. Furthermore, local policy initiatives should include proper mobility options for individuals and families seeking opportunity and shelter as a means of offering them protection from climate change related occurrences.

Author: Kimberly Hidalgo

1. Institute for Environment and Human Security. (2015, November 26). 5 facts on climate migrants - Institute for Environment and Human Security. United Nations University. https://ehs.unu.edu/news/news/5-facts-on-climate-migrants.html

2. Mbaye, A. (2019, September 20). Africa's climate crisis, conflict, and migration challenges. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/09/20/africas-climate-crisis-conflict-and-migration-challenges/

3. Torelli, S. M. (2017, December 20). Climate-driven migration in Africa. ECFR. https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_climate_driven_migration_in_africa