As more and more people are affected by climate change, the need to understand and prepare for climate-related migration has increased. This inform aims to complement existing research by providing a broader perspective on how displacement and migration related to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation are being addressed by key national-level initiatives and policies in EMN Member Countries as well as non-EU OECD countries.

On 5 June 2025, World Environment Day highlights the complex links between climate change and human mobility. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued statements emphasising both the scale of climate-induced displacement and the growing recognition of migrants’ potential contributions to environmental resilience. Discussions on the role of migrants in addressing environmental challenges have become more prominent, i.a. in a recent MPI podcast dedicated to this topic.

In a new article published today, the Migration Policy Institute reviews definitions of climate migration and questions the value of such a definition. It explores the difficulties of distinguishing climate migrants from other kinds of economic or humanitarian migrants, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries, and it highlights that the populations most vulnerable to climate change are often those who cannot migrate. 

The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "environmentally displaced person" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!