Not every disaster leads to displacement, but natural disasters displace large numbers of people, largely within countries. Extreme weather and climate situations constitute the biggest chunk of natural disasters displacement. 342 million were displaced between 2008-2021, which accounts for, on average, 20 million persons per year. Storms (38%) and floods (49%) are the largest displacers. Nonetheless, this very rarely leads to cross-border displacement.

In this context, the speakers during the conference highlighted the following points:

• We need more data and connect the data better. As a consequence, we could better understand climate-related issues, make forecasts and take actions when they need to be taken (insight, foresight, action).
   
• We need to focus more on long-term solutions and coordinate better. Policies operate in silos and we need to connect those silos.
   
• We need to identify and invest in intersections: how can labour mobility be connected to climate-change issues (innovation, mobility pathways, resilience-building …)?
   
• There is already a lot that we can do and that we should do:
  • Putting systems in place and coordinate our response,
  • Increase resilience and address vulnerabilities,
  • Not only focus on climate mitigation but also on prevention of emissions,
  • Pay attention to developing countries, as they are hit the worst (and will also be hit worse in the future),
  • Think about relocation processes: we need to consider the relocation of people.

For further information on this conference, including live streaming of both days, please visit this page.