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Five myths about the climate crisis and displacement debunked. The climate crisis and human displacement are increasingly linked. Not only did climate-related disasters account for more than half of new reported displacements in 2022, but nearly 60 percent of refugees and internally displaced people now live in countries that are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Our understanding of these links is growing, but the ways in which our rapidly changing climate forces people to move and makes life more difficult for those already displaced are complex and evolving. This allowed myths and misinformation to proliferate. Here are five of the most common myths surrounding the climate crisis and displacement, followed by what we know.
Myth 1:
Climate change will trigger large-scale transboundary movements from the global south to the global north
Fact:
Suggestions that large numbers of people fleeing climate change from the Global South will head to the Global North are not supported by current evidence. Most people forced to flee by climate-related disasters are moving within their own countries. For example, in 2022, they caused record-breaking disasters 32.6 million internal transfersThe link is external, 98 percent of which were caused by weather-related hazards such as floods, storms, fires and droughts, according to the International Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC). There is less data on cross-border movement after disasters, but we know that 70 percent of all refugees live in countries neighboring their own. Whether people are fleeing conflict or disaster, they prefer to stay as close to home and family as possible. Those forced to leave an area severely affected by climate change are also less likely to have the means to move long distances. (Kristy Siegfried).
