Center for American Progress

Cause behind African migrant flood has terrifying implications for the world
In the News

Cause behind African migrant flood has terrifying implications for the world

Michael Werz and Max Hoffman write about the impact of climate change on African migration.

The migrant crisis in the Mediterranean is symptomatic of deep dislocation in the Sahel region and sub-Saharan Africa — dislocation exacerbated by climate change.

Climate change is affecting such basic environmental conditions as rainfall patterns and temperatures and is contributing to more frequent natural disasters like floods and droughts. Over the long term, these changing conditions can undermine the rural livelihoods of farming, herding and fishing. The resulting rural dislocation is a factor in people’s decisions to migrate.

The above excerpt was originally published in Reuters. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Michael Werz

Former Senior Fellow

Max Hoffman

Former Senior Director

Department

National Security and International Policy

Advancing progressive national security policies that are grounded in respect for democratic values: accountability, rule of law, and human rights.