On 19 November 2022, the Natolin Academy of Migration Nest organized the conference Climate makes people move. The conference addressed the single globally most powerful underlying cause of mass migration: the climate crisis.
If today, 1% of the world’s surface is uninhabitable due to high temperatures, that figure may grow by 2070 to 19%, forcing more than 200 million people to migrate. As the phenomenon becomes a growing socio-political challenge for the European Union, this conference questioned how well-prepared the European Union is for the future. Climate makes people move specifically focused on the nexus between migration and climate crisis in Africa, where demographic pressure grows, and climate change causes the deterioration of living most rapidly.
What are the global and EU policy tools available to address the challenge? Should we rather mitigate, or should we adapt? How to prepare societies of European states for the challenges ahead and how to shape EU policy towards Africa? The conference brought together top European and African policy experts to address these questions:
Gaia VINCE, award-winning science journalist and author of Nomad Century. How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World gave the keynote talk.
Agenda
Session I. Climate-induced migration: a challenge for the European Union and the globe
- Introduction: Alicja KĘPKA
- Moderation: Lavinia PRETTO
- Efstathios MAINAS, Strategic Analyst, Risk Analysis Unit within the Situational Awareness and Monitoring Division, Frontex
- Christina DASZKIEWICZ, Project Officer, Migration, Environment, Climate Change & Risk Reduction Division, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- Hanne WIEGEL, Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
- Julia GUERIN, Project Officer, MIEUX+ Central and West, Africa Focal Point
Session II. Migration in and from Africa – the impact of climate
- Introduction: Coraline VAN DEN BOGAERT
- Moderation: Anunita CHANDRASEKAR
- Julia BLOCHER, FutureLab, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
- Gabriel MVOGO, President, Youth Organization for the European and African Union
- Safietou SANFO, Agric Economist, Associate Professor, Université Thomas Sankara, Burkina
Please find below the video with highlights of the event:
The Flickr photo gallery can also be found below:
The event was live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.