Climate change and disaster displacement at COP29

Weather-related disasters force millions of people to flee their homes each year  

Disaster displacement can affect anyone, anywhere. Weather-related disasters triggered 20.3 million internal displacements in 2023 across 148 countries and territories, leaving 6.6 million people internally displaced at the end of the year. The Horn of Africa and Asia recorded the highest number of displacements, but high-income countries such as Canada, Greece and New Zealand also reported record numbers in 2023. Since IDMC started collecting disaster displacement data in 2008, we have reported 359 million internal displacements due to weather-related hazards, an average of 22.4 million every year. 

Without action, climate change will force even more people to flee 

The last IPCC report stipulates that climate change is making slow and sudden weather-related events and processes that trigger displacement more frequent and more intense. IDMC’s new Global Disaster Displacement Risk Model also indicates that the risk of displacement by weather-related hazards will continue to rise overall in both optimistic and pessimistic climate change scenarios.  

Climate change increases the risk of being displaced and amplifies the vulnerabilities of displaced people. As stated in the last IPCC report, climate change acts as a risk multiplier, interacting with other factors to exacerbate people’s vulnerabilities to displacement. It can lead to increased food and water insecurity, loss of livelihoods and territory, and erosion. This may result in resource competition, community and cultural stress, and other socio-economic challenges that force people to flee their homes, sometimes fueling social unrest and government instability. The increased vulnerabilities are especially evident in situations where conflict and disasters overlap. 

People forced to flee disasters suffer multiple forms of economic and non-economic losses and damages

The occurrence of displacement is an indicator of the severity of economic and non-economic loss and damage suffered by individuals and communities. Being forced to flee one’s home illustrates the limits of adaptation and people’s ability to cope with certain levels of risks.  

Displacement is itself a form of loss and damage. It disrupts lives, livelihoods, cultural identity and social ties of entire communities. Displaced people also often endure adverse outcomes such as limited access to essential services and financial resources.  

Displacement is also a driver of loss and damage. It generates and perpetuates vulnerability and can affect not only displaced people but also their host communities, those left behind and, at times, the broader economy. Displacement disrupts IDP’s ability to generate income, pay rent or taxes, and also creates additional housing, healthcare, education or protection needs. 

Mitigation, adaptation and adequate investments can reduce its scale and impacts

Disaster displacement is not inevitable. Limiting global warming through ambitious and rapid mitigation measures remains critical to limiting the scale of future displacement and safeguarding people’s right to remain in their homes.  

Integrating displacement into national planning is essential for preventing and responding to it. Climate change adaptation efforts, DRR measures, and disaster-resilient infrastructure can strengthen community resilience, support livelihoods and reduce displacement risk. Governments and their partners can further mitigate impacts by implementing early warning systems, contingency plans and evacuation protocols, and by ensuring displaced people have access to basic needs during and after displacement. Displaced people have invaluable insights into these processes and should be included in them from the earliest phases of discussion. 

Displacement, when in the form of pre-emptive evacuations, can function as a resilience or life-saving measure to reduce harm and loss of life when a disaster strikes. Last year, three-quarters of the 1.8 million displacements triggered by storms in South Asia were government-led pre-emptive evacuations.  

All these efforts depend on sufficient and adequate funding and support to affected countries.  Climate finance must be available to prevent and respond to displacement and its impacts. This includes adequate funding of international climate finance mechanisms, including the Loss and Damage Fund, and clear and equitable processes for affected countries to access them. Development actors can also play a greater role in advancing government-owned solutions through a range of targeted and integrated investments.