Climate-Fueled Migration Requires a Different Approach

As 2024 threatens to surpass 2023’s unprecedented heat records, we are bearing witness to the impacts of a climate-changed world: increasing numbers of climate migrants fleeing climate disasters in Central America are arriving at the border between Mexico and the United States. Record numbers of migrants—nearly 250,000 migrant encounters in December 2023—and a rising toll of over 5,000 migrant deaths since 2014 speak to the humanitarian cost of an already strained, if not broken, immigration system. Climate impacts will increase livelihood insecurities, leading an estimated 30 million Central Americans to migrate to the U.S.–Mexico border over the next 30 years. To de-escalate this impending humanitarian crisis, U.S. policy strategy must address root causes by funding community-led approaches in Central America that help those most affected by climate change to adapt within their home countries.

Two back-to-back hurricanes pummeled Central America, causing nearly $6 billion in damages in November 2020, displacing more than half a million people, and causing a surge in migrants seeking entry to the United States. The region is among the most vulnerable to climate shocks, with governments ranked in the bottom 20% in the world for capability to respond to new climate crises. 

Globally, climate displaced people typically remain within their borders, but in Central America, climate disasters are more frequently causing people to leave their home countries entirely, according to the International Monetary Fund. As climate-fueled events and changing climatic realities—hurricanes, floods, fires, droughts—decimate lands, lives, and livelihoods, many Central Americans have no safe options, so they begin the dangerous trek north. 

Upon reaching the United States, however, they make the brutal discovery that climate migrants do not have the same rights as refugees. International law does not consider climate displaced people to be refugees, or offer them the same protections as those fleeing conflict. While the United Nations Human Rights Committee has acknowledged the potential for climate change to necessitate displacement and the corresponding human rights violations, there remains no binding international legal protections for climate refugees. Therefore, when arriving at the U.S.–Mexico border, these “climate refugees” cannot seek asylum, despite the fact that they have been displaced for reasons beyond their control. 

The United States has long established a unique obligation, both moral and practical, to support Latin America, dating back to the Monroe Doctrine. Initially designed to warn Europe against interfering in Latin America, it now serves as a general foreign security strategy where stability in Latin America benefits U.S. security interests. As climate migrants grow, it is mutually beneficial for the United States to help Central American communities adapt to changing climate realities. Bolstering their climate resilience would increase stability throughout the region, decrease climate displacement, and reduce migration flows to the U.S.–Mexico border—a trifecta of co-benefits. 

Providing climate adaptation aid in Central America is vital to addressing the southern border crisis. While the Biden administration has acknowledged climate as a migration catalyst in Central America and committed to providing aid to governments, pervasive corruption among Central American governments is undermining programs and puts into question the effectiveness of U.S. aid. Two former Salvadoran presidents are accused of diverting over $600 million in government funds, and several Honduran politicians are accused of misusing over $10 million in government funds.

Shifting from funding Central American governments to local community-led approaches can effectively increase climate resilience and decrease the need for migration in Central America. Working directly with community-based organizations who best understand their unique climate challenges and needs is the most efficient and effective strategy for climate adaptation, while protecting marginalized groups at the intersection of climate impacts and other challenges to their community. 

Community-led climate adaptation programs have already proved successful in Central America. A local climate adaptation organization in Mexico, Espacio de Encuentro de las Culturas Originarias, is helping communities become more resilient to drought by installing dry toilets and fog catchers, and bringing back specialized farming techniques. They’re also implementing ecotechnologies, like energy efficient stoves that reduce wood consumption by 50%. The locally based initiative is directly reducing the region’s climate vulnerability and helping eliminate a catalyst for migration to the United States.

As the United Nations’ weather agency continues to sound the “red alert” on global climate records, we must prioritize justice, and respond to the livelihood insecurities of people on the frontlines. Those least responsible for causing our climate crises are those most impacted. Emphasizing community-led climate adaptation initiatives is a powerful way to address root causes while fostering sustainable solutions. The U.S. government has a crucial opportunity to prioritize innovative strategies grounded in community empowerment, paving the way for a more just and resilient future both in Central America and the United States.