Climate Migration
Learn how the Mayors Migration Council is influencing national and global agendas on climate migration, while generating practical evidence and accelerating action in cities.
Influencing national and global agendas on climate migration
In 2021, the MMC joined forces with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40 Cities) to launch the C40-MMC Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration.
Guided by the Mayors of Barcelona, Bristol, Dakar, Dhaka North, Freetown, Houston, Los Angeles, Lima, and Milan, the C40-MMC Task Force released a mayor-led Action Agenda at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). During COP27, the C40-MMC Task Force announced the Mayors of Amman, São Paulo, and London as new members; influenced the IPCC’s Summary for Urban Policymakers to recognize the impact of the climate crisis on migration in cities; and unlocked new investments in the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees to address climate migration in African cities.
In parallel, the MMC mobilized a coalition of 15 US mayors and city networks to draft an Open Letter to the US President, resulting in the acknowledgement of the urban dimension of climate migration in the White House Report on Climate and Migration and a US$5 million investment to support climate-affected migrants.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra LeoneIf we want to address climate and migration, the majority of which occurs in Africa, Latin America and Asia, it is critical we focus on equity—not just within countries but across countries.
Generating practical evidence on climate migration in cities
In 2020, the MMC began a strategic partnership with C40 Cities to investigate how the climate crisis and migration intersect in cities.
Following consultations with city officials and experts, they issued a detailed analysis, Cities, Climate and Migration: The Role of Cities at the Climate-Migration Nexus, which provides city officials with a clearer understanding of how climate migration plays out in cities and identifies promising practices around the globe.
Building on this global overview, the MMC partnered with Columbia University to analyze and disseminate new quantitative data with the brief Climate Migration in Mexican and Central American Cities.
Similarly, the MMC served as the urban lead on the African Climate Mobility Initiative, bringing the voices of over 10 African mayors to inform the qualitative research and migration modeling scenarios produced by the Global Center for Climate Mobility. As a result, the Center launched an Africa Shifts Report with city-level climate migration data, and an Agenda for Action calling for more political agency, financing, and data for city-led responses to climate migration.
Through the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees projects focused on inclusive climate action, the MMC continues to create practical evidence on city-led responses and on-the-ground needs. Key action areas include green jobs, loss & damage, and more.
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