Editor's note: Ruqiya Anwar, a PhD scholar of Media and Communication Studies from Pakistan, is a researcher and socio-political analyst. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

It is quite alarming that climate migration is not on the main agenda for the ongoing 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), despite the possibility that it will be brought up in debates on adaptation, loss, and harm brought on by climate change. Climate change has forced many people to leave their home countries. 

It is predicted that the climate crisis will cause the greatest mass migration in the modern era. Flash floods, droughts, weather extremes, wildfires, violence, and high heat might drive as many as a billion people to abandon their homes and communities over the next few decades. As a result, climate change is causing a migration crisis that could increase the risk of global conflict. 

Notably, as the global temperature rises, extreme climate events become more intense and frequent. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, risks brought on by the increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events are already forcing millions of people to abandon their homes and relocate both inside their own countries' borders and to neighboring nations. 

More than 30 million individuals in 2020 were displaced internally due to weather-related disasters. Furthermore, as stated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, the homes of 280 million people may be permanently drowned by the end of the century as a result of rising sea levels. 

Similarly, due to climate change, 216 million people will be displaced within their countries by 2050, with 105 million in Africa. A severe drought that struck the Horn of Africa this summer caused 3.7 million internal displacements in Somalia and 4.2 in Ethiopia. However, previous UN climate conferences (COPs) have not significantly advanced in addressing this issue, even though climate-induced relocation is becoming more common.  

In the Global South, climate migration indicates the collapse of subsistence groups, which causes poverty, depletion of resources, and famine. The economy and climate are now inextricably linked. It's a misconception to think of climate as independent of the economy, which is not independent of cultural and agricultural activities. It's all connected: the global economy, the food supply, and the agribusiness industry. The degradation of the natural environment is creating several migration challenges. 

At the COP16 in 2010, climate-induced displacement was mentioned in the Cancun Adaptation Framework, and at the COP21 in 2015, the Task Force on Displacement was created. Both were important at the time, but neither has had a long-term impact. At earlier COPs, one of the key problems was the Task Force's framing of climate-induced mobility as a "loss and damage issue," which means it is perceived as a failed adaptation approach. Instead, migration should be regarded as a genuine adaptation option to climate change, despite the losses associated with climate-induced mobility.

Significantly, this understanding prohibits the COP from viewing climate-induced migration as anything other than something to be "avoided and minimized" rather than making moves toward international effort-sharing in caring for displaced persons. Instead, climate-induced displacement is framed as something to be minimized because many national governments are unwilling to bear responsibility for a new category of vulnerable individuals.  

The alarmist claims that climate change will bring mass migration to the West have hampered international effort sharing. Such assertions are mostly false because many people who should move due to climate change are the least likely to do so due to low incomes. Nevertheless, the Western world should not let exaggerated fears prevent it from helping those who must migrate due to climate change.  

At the COP27, discussions about climate-related displacement might take place, and solutions could be found with mounting pressure from African nations. However, we shouldn't hold our breath for a huge breakthrough because climate-related migration is still seen more as an issue to be mitigated than as one the international community should shoulder. 

As climate change impacts worsen, the intersection of climate migration and conflict must receive more attention in international climate discussions, and world leaders take immediate action to help mitigate the disproportionate impact of climate change on the world's most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged communities. 

Most importantly, the climate migration should be discussed more openly in UN climate discussions to shed more light on the issue and initiate a serious discussion on the necessary steps to address it. To address climate migration, countries must innovate work visa systems and create new legal frameworks. The COP27 is a platform to acknowledge climate migration and provide funding to governments. Therefore, the COP27 should give financial and technical assistance to developing country governments, local officials, and civil groups. 

Additionally, the COP27 must outline strategies for assisting communities in establishing local solutions to curb mass migration and adopt systems that can quickly absorb migrants and put them to work. The COP27 should create a dedicated work program on climate change, migration, and conflict, possibly with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This program could define climate refugees and their rights and benefits worldwide. Climate, migration, and conflict are interconnected, so more research is needed. 

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