7 February 2011: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a project titled “ADB Policy Options to Support Climate-induced Migration,” which aims to increase awareness of, and enhance regional preparedness for, migration driven by changing weather patterns.

The project is based on the recognition that typhoons, cyclones, floods and drought are forcing an increasing number of people to migrate, and that this process is set to accelerate in coming decades as climate change leads to more extreme weather. It will sponsor various activities, including: the formulation of country and sub-regional studies that consider past experience and future planning for climate-induced migration; dialogues and workshops with experts and stakeholders concerned with climate-induced migration; national and international policy options and ways to finance them; and communications drawing attention to climate-induced migration and the choices that decision makers face in the period ahead.

Also as part of the project, the ADB expects to issue a report titled “Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific,” in early March 2011. The report will highlight the risks confronting climate change “hotspots,” which face pressure from swelling populations as rural people seek new lives in cities. It will also emphasize that, if properly managed, climate-induced migration could facilitate human adaptation, creating new opportunities for dislocated populations in less vulnerable environments. [ADB Press Release] [Climate-induced Migration Project Website]