Migrations and Climate Change

The effects of climate change on migration has gained considerable prominence. Both slow and rapid onset events are predicted to severely affect communities’ ability to live in many regions, particularly in coastal areas, river deltas, small islands etc., and affect the livelihoods of farming communities around the world. This is disproportionately felt by communities in the Global South and by working class ones in the North. For social movements, too much focus and time has been spent in trying to mis-classify “climate refugees” while not enough has been dedicated to looking at the real causes of climate changes through a critique of the global economic structures, and the real forces behind displacement. Some false solutions proposed by states such as REDD, will also further drive the displacement of communities. At the same time, racist and militaristic forces are using climate as a scape-goat to further criminalize migrants, create more restrictive borders, and militarize the Global South. This workshop will discuss the intersection of climate and migration, dive deeper into these issues, and set up proposals for global movements to converge on an agenda for collective action.

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