Climate Migration Council Highlights Urgency of Addressing Climate Displacement at COP28
DUBAI – The Climate Migration Council was on the ground at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, advocating for innovative solutions to address climate-driven migration, underscoring the urgency of addressing climate displacement and the importance of diverse perspectives in shaping global solutions.
COP28 kicked off with a landmark announcement by establishing the Loss and Damage Fund on its first day. Importantly, displaced persons were incorporated within the scope of the Loss and Damage Fund, marking a historic milestone that underscored the growing recognition that solutions to climate migration are urgently needed. The Climate Migration Council’s participation at COP28 further ensured that the topic of human mobility took center stage, supporting the initiatives that drove this year’s Conference. With a co-sponsorship of the Climate Mobility Pavilion, The Climate Migration Council hosted two panels at COP28 promoting dialogue on climate displacement. They saw active engagement from more than 10 affiliated organizations on-site, as the sponsorship ensured that climate-driven migration received prominent attention that firmly anchored human mobility in ongoing discussions.
“It’s imperative governments across the globe come together to develop and adopt equitable and inclusive solutions to address climate-related human mobility at local, national, regional, and international levels. We can no longer treat climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate-related migration as separate challenges. That’s the message we brought to policymakers in Dubai,” said Karl Deering, Director of Climate Justice at CARE USA, who participated in Climate Migration Council’s ‘Uplifting Innovations Fireside Chat’ at COP28. CARE’s CEO and President, Michelle Nunn, is a member of the Climate Migration Council.
More on the Climate Migration Council’s Activities at COP28:
The Climate Migration Council brought together a collection of experts to discuss groundbreaking innovations during its Uplifting Innovations Fireside Chat. The panel, featuring Karl Deering, Director of Climate Justice at CARE; Zachary Phillips, Crown Counsel for Antigua and Barbuda; Ahmed Dalal Farah, Climate Technical Advisor for the City of Hargeisa, Somaliland; Mamta Borgoyaray, Co-Director of SHE Changes Climate; and Dr. Koko Warner, Director of the IOM Global Data Institute (GDI), focused on the challenges posed by the certainty of climate-induced migration and priorities, and insights on policy, replication potential, and best practices.
The second panel discussion, Advancing Local Knowledge and Perspectives on Climate Change-Related Displacement and Migration, focused on the growing concerns regarding representation, diversity, and decolonization in global discourses relating to migration and displacement. In addition to the Climate Migration Council, this panel was co-hosted by the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the University of New South Wales, Sydney; The Platform on Disaster Displacement; and The Climate Mobility Africa Research Network. Scientia Professor Jane McAdam is the Director of the Kaldor Centre and is a member of the Climate Migration Council. Walter Kaelin is the Envoy of the Chair of Platform on Disaster Displacement and is a member of the Climate Migration Council. The discussion featured Oluwatoyin Adejonwo, Steering Group Member of the Climate Mobility Africa Research Network, Beatriz Eugenia Sánchez-Mojica, PhD, Associate at the South American Network for Environmental Migrations (RESAMA); Tammy Tabe, Fellow at the East-West Center; and was moderated by Mizan R. Khan, PhD, Deputy Director at International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). The event demonstrated the need to learn from locally anchored academics invested in researching climate mobility from the perspective of climate-vulnerable nations.
These impactful activations supported the initiatives that drove COP28, with the topic of human mobility taking center stage. The Climate Migration Council’s shared commitment to finding equitable and inclusive solutions echoed through the conference, as global climate leaders collectively drove outcomes designed to aid at-risk communities. The establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund on the first day of COP28, along with the incorporation of displacement and displaced persons within its scope, marked a historic milestone that underscored the growing recognition of the urgent need for climate action and solutions to climate migration.
The Climate Migration Council’s shared commitment to finding equitable and inclusive solutions echoed through the conference. As the planet warms and the climate crisis accelerates human mobility, the Climate Migration Council will continue to urge governments across the globe to develop and adopt equitable and inclusive solutions at every opportunity.
For more information, contact press@climatemigrationcouncil.org.
About the Climate Migration Council
Formed by elected officials, business leaders, academics, and advocates, the Climate Migration Council is committed to putting people at the center of climate action and to supporting global solutions to the climate crisis, migration, and climate-related migration. To learn more, visit www.climatemigrationcouncil.org.