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Cited by 164Climate Change, Adaptation, MigrationClimate Change Communication and PerceptionClimate Change and Health Impacts

Climate-induced migration in the Global South: an in depth analysis

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Almulhim, Abdulaziz I., Alverio, Gabriela Nagle, Sharifi, Ayyoob, Shaw, Rajib, Huq, Saleemul, Mahmud, Md Juel, Ahmad, Shakil, Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi·2024·npj Climate Action
DOI 10.1038/s44168-024-00133-1
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Abstract

Scientists predict ongoing global climate change to trigger adverse events affecting about 143 million people in the Global South by 2050, leading to various forms of migration and mobility. While existing literature extensively examines climate-induced migration, there is a lack of studies considering the compounding impacts of multiple climate hazards on migration, mobility, and immobility. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review to explore how climate-induced stressors, specifically rising temperatures, water stress and droughts, and floods and sea-level rise, have affected populations in the Global South, leading to voluntary and/or forced migration. Our findings show that these stressors have displaced and profoundly impacted millions of people, resulting in both internal and transboundary migration. Climate-induced stressors often trigger migration through indirect pathways influenced by multiple intervening institutional, political, and socio-economic factors and programmatic and policy gaps. Effectively addressing challenges related to climate-induced migration necessitates adaptation strategies that adequately consider the impacts of these intervening factors while recognizing their differential effects on various socio-demographic groups. We argue that support from Global North countries, including compensation for loss and damage, along with continued institutional and financial support from international non-governmental organizations, is crucial for managing climate-induced migration in the Global South. Without proper planning and adequate resources, migration may escalate and significantly impact human security. The findings of this study can inform climate migration policies and assist adaptation and migration experts in identifying intervention mechanisms and opportunities for people-centered climate solutions.

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  • Groundwater depletion is increasingly treated as a chronic form of water stress, especially where irrigation and urban extraction exceed recharge capacity.

    “Groundwater depletion is increasingly treated as a chronic form of water stress, particularly in regions where irrigation demand and urban extraction exceed recharge capacity (Almulhim et al., 2024).”

    From Climate Security, Water Governance, and Resilience How Climate-Induced Water Stress and Migration Challenge State Capacity (2026) · cites this paper as Almulhim et al., 2024

    The Introduction defines water stress as demand exceeding available water, and the Conclusion describes prolonged water scarcity as a gradual stressor. Neither passage identifies groundwater depletion as a chronic form of water stress or discusses irrigation and urban extraction exceeding recharge capacity; searches for groundwater, recharge, and overextraction found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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  • Migration is not an automatic response to water stress but a conditional outcome shaped by asset constraints, labor demand, land tenure, gendered mobility norms, and availability of public services in origin and destination locations.

    “Across this scholarship, migration is not treated as an automatic response to water stress but as a conditional outcome shaped by asset constraints, labor demand, land tenure, gendered mobility norms, and the availability of public services in origin and destination locations (Almulhim et al., 2024).”

    From Climate Security, Water Governance, and Resilience How Climate-Induced Water Stress and Migration Challenge State Capacity (2026) · cites this paper as Almulhim et al., 2024

    The Conclusion (page unavailable) says climate stressors often affect migration through indirect pathways shaped by institutional and socioeconomic factors. The Introduction links water-stress migration to insufficient resources, describes gender as influencing migration decisions, and gives examples involving farmland size and employment opportunities. It does not establish labor demand, land tenure, gendered mobility norms, or public services in both origin and destination locations as the specific conditions listed in the claim. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Almulhim, A. I., Alverio, G. N., Sharifi, A., Shaw, R., Huq, S., Mahmud, M. J., Ahmad, S., & Abubakar, I. R.
Affiliations
  • Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (SA)
  • Duke University (US)
  • Hiroshima University (JP)
  • Keio University (JP)
  • Independent University, Bangladesh (BD)
Corresponding author
Almulhim, Abdulaziz I.
ORCID
Venue
npj Climate Action
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-06-14
Volume
3
Issue
1
ISSN
2731-9814 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s44168-024-00133-1
OpenAlex
W4399671748
Cited by
164
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 87 · 2025: 71 · 2024: 6
FWCI
86.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • npj Climate Action (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Greater South Information System
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
Keywords
climate-induced migration, Global South, temperature rise, water stress, drought, floods, sea level rise, forced migration, internal migration, cross-border migration, immobility, climate change adaptation, loss and damage, climate migration policy, human security, non-governmental organizations

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