How AI can help us better prepare for climate migration

Climate change is resulting in extreme weather events that force communities to leave their homes.
The UN International Organization for Migration forecasts that up to a billion people will become climate migrants over the next 30 years.
AI can be used to help governments and individuals prepare for climate migration.

Climate change is one of the direst crises of our time causing natural disasters that often result in the displacement of large groups of people, known as ‘climate migrants.’ These individuals move across city and state borders to escape the disastrous effects of climate change on their homes and communities. According to the United Nations (UN) International Organization for Migration, up to one billion people will become climate migrants over the next three decades. This projection rises to 1.2 billion by 2050 and 1.4 billion by 2060.

Although these figures are alarming, they are not unexpected due to the state of the environment. But how do climate migrants differ from other migrants and refugees and how can we conceptualise the future of climate migration using artificial intelligence?

How do climate migrants differ from other migrants?

The UN 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as a person who is forced to flee their country due to an imminent risk of persecution and human rights violations. Additionally, refugees have a legal right to seek international protection and states have a legal obligation to assess their cases and provide the proper protections where applicable. Migrants are a much larger category, lacking a concrete legal definition and specific protections. Economic migrants leave their countries to seek economic opportunities, including work, study and starting or joining a family. Forced migrants are driven out of their states by extreme circumstances, including political unrest, violence and natural disasters. Many migrants will likely face imminent danger upon returning to their countries, yet they are not recognised as refugees.

International organizations continue to hesitate in providing special protections to migrants but specifically to ‘climate migrants.’ However, the UN, other international organizations and governments have increasingly made efforts to address humanitarian crises and displacement caused by climate change by making strides in disaster relief assistance and raising public awareness of this issue. Although these excellent strides towards expanded protections of climate migrants have been made, it is vital to think of how we can create a more efficient and effective means of managing climate migration as the numbers continue to grow. AI may be the answer.[…]

Climate change is resulting in extreme weather events that force communities to leave their homes.

The UN International Organization for Migration forecasts that up to a billion people will become climate migrants over the next 30 years.

AI can be used to help governments and individuals prepare for climate migration.

How do climate migrants differ from other migrants?