Global Climate Change

Tamara

What will the immediate effects of climate change be on people living there, if any?

How is that region being affected by migration due to climate change, or might be in the future?

What impact will this have on the livelihoods of people living there, in terms of health, housing, community and employment?

To return to Resettling Climate Migrants Course, please close this webpage.

Kit Sinclair

Hi there. I was reviewing the online module and thinking of a case study which might reflect the issues of the Social Determinants of Health as noted in the Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008. If you have not seen it before it is an excellent explanation of the SDH in relation to migration.
I thought about the map showing on the global challenge section offered some good examples of climate challenges around the world.
a case study using one of the examples could be:
Jorge is a third-generation farmer in Guatemala. He has a wife, a teenaged daughter and two young sons to support. He has worked on his land all his life. As a good farmer, he thought he knew the seasons and what to plant when. Then came five years of drought. When it finally rained, and with faith in the seasons returning, he planted another crop. The river which fed his land flooded his corn. Ever hopeful, he was determined to continue farming. He had nothing except the family’s tin-roofed hut and using that as collateral took an advance of $1500 from the bank for okra seeds which he planted. But after he planted, there was no rain and his crop died.
He is now living with drought, bankruptcy and starvation. He has no support from the government who seemed to demand tax money rather than subsidy. His children are chronically hungry. His wife is in poor health. He has to do something unthinkable.
He resolves he must leave his land to save his family. He had no idea where they should go. He has heard that others have migrated north. He decides that his family has no choice but to follow the others. He hopes that his broad skills in machinery repair and agriculture will help him find work elsewhere.

Messermoira

1. What will the immediate effects of climate change be on people living there?
Africa is already experiencing the immediate effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather events such as floods and cyclones. These changes are damaging crops, reducing access to water, and increasing food insecurity. Many rural communities that depend on agriculture and natural resources are facing immediate threats to their way of life.

2. How is the region being affected by migration due to climate change, or how might it be in the future?
Climate change is a growing driver of internal migration across Africa. People are moving from rural areas affected by drought, flooding, and land degradation to cities in search of more stable living conditions. Urban areas are under increasing pressure as they absorb large numbers of displaced people, often without adequate housing or infrastructure. In some regions, especially in the Sahel, climate stress is contributing to cross-border migration and intensifying competition for resources, which can lead to conflict.

3. What impact will this have on the livelihoods of people living there, in terms of health, housing, community, and employment?
Health: Increased heat and poor water quality are contributing to the spread of diseases such as malaria, cholera, and other waterborne illnesses. Malnutrition is also on the rise due to declining agricultural productivity.
Housing: Homes in low-lying and informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to flooding, erosion, and extreme weather.
Community: Displacement disrupts social structures and traditional ways of life. It also creates tension in areas receiving large numbers of migrants.
Employment: Climate change is reducing job opportunities in agriculture, fishing, and pastoralism—sectors that employ a large portion of the population. Many people are forced into informal or unstable jobs in overcrowded urban centers.

In short, climate change is not only an environmental issue in Africa—it is a growing humanitarian and socio-economic crisis that is reshaping lives, livelihoods, and entire communities.