October 31, 2023
On 28 October 2023, the 11th Saxon Asylum Initiatives Conference took place in Dresden on the topic of “Getting out of the crisis – shaping migration in a forward-looking and humane way”, organized by the Saxon Refugee Council, the Kulturbüro Sachsen e.V. and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony. UfU was represented there with the KlimaGesichter project. Climate protection ambassador Esthela Richter, who is qualified in the project, and UfU employee Dr. Christoph Herrler gave an input on climate migration at the opening of the event.
In front of an audience of around 60 people, Esthela Richter first used a real case from Ecuador to illustrate how climate change can alter environmental conditions to the extent that the children’s generation can no longer maintain their parents’ farming and handicrafts in rural areas. They are no longer faced with the question of whether they should migrate, but only whether this migration should remain within the country’s borders or not.
Christoph Herrler then presented key findings from research into climate migration. This is difficult to quantify (especially when it comes to making forecasts), as climate change is rarely the sole reason for migration movements. Nevertheless, it is often – sometimes even unconsciously for those affected – an influencing factor and will be increasingly so in the future. Although theoretically everyone can be affected by climate migration, it is important to emphasize that the ability to adapt (socio-economic situation and place of residence play decisive roles here) and individual vulnerability open up a very broad spectrum of affectedness. Contrary to what is often suggested in the media, poverty, for example, is not a factor that causes migration, but rather an obstacle.
Even if statements about future scenarios for climate change-induced flight and migration are always linked to uncertainty, it was made clear in the input that this should not be a reason for inaction. The precautionary principle established in international climate protection (Art. 3.3 UNFCCC) already requires this. Climate policy and migration policy are not strictly separable areas, but will become increasingly intertwined in the future. Germany and the European Union are therefore (also) called upon to shape migration in a forward-looking and humane manner due to their climate ethics responsibility!