Ndubuisi Francis
The World Bank’s updated Groundswell report released on Monday revealed that climate change, an increasingly potent driver of migration, could force 216 million people across six world regions to move within their countries by 2050.
Hotspots of internal climate migration could emerge as early as 2030 and continue to spread and intensify by 2050, it said.
The report also discovered that immediate and concerted action to reduce global emissions and support green, inclusive and resilient development could reduce the scale of climate migration by as much as 80 per cent.
Climate change is a powerful driver of internal migration because of its impacts on people’s livelihoods and loss of livability in highly exposed locations.
By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa could see as many as 86 million internal climate migrants; East Asia and the Pacific, 49 million; South Asia, 40 million; North Africa, 19 million; Latin America, 17 million; and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, five million.
The Vice-President of Sustainable Development, World Bank, Juergen Voegele, said: “The Groundswell report is a stark reminder of the human toll of climate change, particularly on the world’s poorest — those who are contributing the least to its causes. It also clearly lays out a path for countries to address some of the key factors that are causing climate-driven migration.
“All these issues are fundamentally connected which is why our support to countries is positioned to deliver on climate and development objectives together while building a more sustainable, safe and resilient future.”
