Alex Randall was featured on Radio 4’s ‘More or Less’ discussing controversial figures for the number of people who might be displaced by climate change. In this interview Alex argues that settling on a figure is difficult and possibly unhelful because defining who counts as a “climate migrant” is almost impossible.
For further information on this issue download our migration and climate change myth buster.
While it is certainly true that there are important connections between climate change and migration, they might not be as simple as some of the “headline” statistics suggest. Simply because someone is in an area that is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change does not mean they will necessarily move: they might remain trapped in the area, or remain and adapt.
Statements that there might be 200 million “climate refugees” have also been misused and misunderstood. They are often used to suggest that 200 million people will cross international borders and seek refuge in new countries in response to climate change. However, the most likely pattern of climate-linked movement is that people will move short distances and usually within their own countries.
