Mitigation, Adaptation, Migration

Integrating Human Mobility into International Climate Policy

As international climate negotiations unfold, the conversation often focuses on three key areas: adaptation, loss and damage, and mitigation. However, one critical issue remains underexplored - climate mobility. This policy brief examines why climate mobility is essential to a people-centered action agenda and its relevance to discussions at the UNFCCC. It demonstrates how migration can serve as a proactive strategy to adapt to environmental change, provided that rights protections and enabling conditions are in place. The paper discusses why governments must facilitate movement and empower individuals to make informed choices, and the urgent need for accountable mechanisms and financial resources to support communities facing displacement due to escalating climate impacts. Finally, it considers the pace of emissions reductions and how this will affect ecosystem stability and influence migration drivers, highlighting the need for skilled labor through migration in the transition to a decarbonized economy.