Resilience through migration with dignity: Pathways for addressing complexities in climate, migration, and conflict

Abstract

Climate change drives and exacerbates threats to international stability and human security, often resulting in migration. While the linkages between climate change, conflict, and migration are well-documented, the dynamics remain debated due to complexities of their interaction and the inability to anticipate the range of likely outcomes. As such, while climate change may be a threat-multiplier and a conflict accelerant, there remain significant questions about the specific contextual factors and co-drivers necessary for climate change to lead to migration and conflict. Nevertheless, migration is growing, as is the potential for conflict, and current international legal and policy frameworks governing migration are not equipped to manage the growing number of migrants. Orienting the climate–migration–conflict dynamic around approaches to resilience acknowledges complexity and nonlinear change, recognizes that regime shifts may occur, and advances the protection of human and environmental systems both driving and impacted by climatic change. The Migration with Dignity Framework provides a resilient path to addressing threats to stability and security posed by climate change and could mitigate conflicts arising from climate change-related migration.