Strengthening Climate Diplomacy to Prevent Climate Migration

Dr. Aslı VAROL

In order to build the future, it is necessary to prevent the devastating effects of climate change on a global scale. In other words, if we want to have a future, we must fight climate change. Unless people change their way of life and industries change their way of production, it is very difficult to achieve the goal of “a better future”. Climate change cannot be reduced to just an increase in temperature values. Climate change affects all ecosystems on the planet as a whole. Increase in temperatures causes that decrease in water resources, environmental degradation, desertification, droughts, water scarcity, wildfires, rising sea levels, flooding & declining biodiversity.

According to the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (UNFCCC), climate change is “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods” (United Nations, 1992). As it is understood, human activities cause climate crisis. 

Climate Migration

Climate change should not be considered only as an environmental problem. With its devastating effects, the climate crisis is directly related to the future of the planet.

According to the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index 2021, the most affected countries in 2019 were Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the Bahamas, followed by Japan, Malawi and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Eckstein, Künzel, Schäfer, 2021). The World Bank’s “Groundswell Part II: Acting on Internal Climate Migration Report” reveals that over 216 million people could move within their countries by 2050 across six regions (Clement et. al, 2021).

Climate migration is increasing worldwide. It ranges from Pacific Islanders moving inland to immigrants in African countries whose livelihoods have been destroyed by desertification and land degradation. Immigration, which can be seen at the southern border of the United States or in the Mediterranean, has quickly become a pressing issue for foreign policy makers who are often unprepared in the wake of migration crises (Chazalnoël and Ionesco, 2020).

Global Cooperation and Building Coalitions 

Today, migration due to climate change emerges as a foreign policy issue. Because, not only those living in underdeveloped countries but also those living in developed countries face the problem of displacement due to climate change. The displacement of people due to climate change will lead to the continuation of the global terrorist threat and to an increase in human trafficking.

The Groundswell Report, which presents scenarios and analyzes for three regions, East Asia and the Pacific, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, offers four policy recommendations that could reduce by 80 percent the number of people who will have to migrate due to climate change (Clement  et. al, 2021): 

o   “Cut global greenhouse gases now to reduce the climate pressures that drive internal climate migration. 

o   Embed internal climate migration in far-sighted green, resilient, and inclusive development planning.

o  Plan for each phase of migration, so that internal climate migration as an adaptation strategy can result in positive development outcomes. 

o   Continue to invest in improving understanding of internal climate migration to inform well-targeted policies.” 

In this sense, governments and companies should consider all management and business processes within the framework of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. First of all, it should be aimed to reduce the emission rates in the industrial area. In addition, a mindset should be created on the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Environmental, social and economic recovery will be achieved when states, companies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and societies demonstrate their determination to tackle the climate crisis together. And also tackling the climate crisis offers several opportunities. Transition to a low-carbon global economy, achieving sustainable development goals and innovation will be important gains in the fight against climate change.

Pacific States’ Climate Diplomacy

Pacific states are a remarkable example of climate diplomacy. All Pacific states have put vulnerability to climate change high on their agenda (Goulding, 2015: 202). In the Pacific states, political groupings and interstate coalitions that reflect the state’s climate policy or are bargaining tools play a role in climate diplomacy. Leaders of Pacific states have attached importance to Pacific coalitions and political groupings in order to make the Pacific voice more heard on climate change at the global level (Carter: 2015: 206).

Pacific Island States have an innovative approach to climate diplomacy. Coalitions in the Pacific prefer to reach citizens directly rather than lobbying in climate diplomacy. They also benefited from public diplomacy and e-diplomacy applications to reach a global audience. At the same time, professional negotiation and public relations firms have been worked with for the training of coalition members in the Pacific region. Public relations firms ensured that the key messages of the coalitions are communicated in a timely and effective manner in traditional and social media. However, since 2009 a group of independent former diplomats, international lawyers and international relations experts has also been working with these blocs in the Pacific to provide diplomatic support, advice and technical assistance on the 'legal form' for the climate regime (Carter, 2015: 216-217).

Climate change doesn’t just mean temperature rises. Global warming causes many negative consequences globally. Climate change brings adverse effects such as drought, melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, floods, forest fires, and reduction of biodiversity. On the other hand, climate change also causes negative consequences such as migration of people affected by climate change, economic deterioration, and prevention of access to education and health services. These are the effects of climate change on economic, social and political fields.

Discussion and Conclusion 

The necessity of multilateralism in the fight against the climate crisis is clearly seen. Because climate change is a global problem that transcends borders and threatens our planet. National and international measures should be taken to prevent climate migration. Governments, companies, non-governmental organizations, universities and various initiatives from around the world must work together and fulfill their responsibilities as stakeholders on the planet. For this, global cooperation and coalitions led by states should be established. Climate diplomacy should be conducted through these formations. It should be admitted that local communities, especially those who had to migrate from their settlements, have a lot to say. Global pressure must be exerted on public and private sector organizations that are causing the climate and environmental crisis through interstate coalitions.

  

References

 

Carter, George (2015): “Establishing a Pacific Voice in the Climate Change Negotiations”, The New Pacific Diplomacy, ed. by Greg Fry & Sandra Tarte, Pacific Series, Australian National University Press, Australia, 205-220.

 

Chazalnoël, Mariam Traore, Dina Ionesco (2020): “A Climate Crisis and a World on the Move: Implications for Migration Management,” September 30, 2020, https://diplomacy21-adelphi.wilsoncenter.org/article/climate-crisis-and-world-move-implications-migration-management.

 

Clement, Viviane, Kanta Kumari Rigaud, Alex de Sherbinin, Bryan Jones, Susana Adamo, Jacob Schewe, Nian Sadiq, Elham Shabahat (2021): Groundswell Part 2: Acting on Internal Climate Migration, The World Bank, Washington, DC.

 

Eckstein, David, Vera Künzel, Laura Schäfer (2021): “Global Climate Risk Index 2021: Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-Related Loss Events in 2019 and 2000-2019”, Briefing Paper, Jabuary 2021, Germanwatch, Germany.

 

Goulding, Nicollette (2015): “Marshalling a Pacific Response to Climate Change”, The New Pacific Diplomacy, ed. by Greg Fry & Sandra Tarte, Pacific Series, Australian National University Press, Australia, 191-204.

 

United Nations (1992): “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”, https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf.