Changing Climate, Changing Migration

Hosted by Migration Policy Institute

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Sep 2026

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How are climate change and environmental degradation affecting human migration across borders and within countries? We explore with top experts in this Migration Policy Institute podcast.

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September 25, 2026Episode 5623 min

Could a Super El Niño Displace Millions from Their Homes?

A forecasted historic El Niño, labeled “Super Godzilla,” is expected to peak in late 2026 and turn 2027 into the hottest year ever recorded on the planet. Expected to be the largest El Niño in at least 1,000 years, the event is expected to result in extreme temperatures, devastating rainfall and droughts, and other unusual weather patterns globally. Although the event is a naturally occurring phenomenon in the Pacific, its impacts are magnified by human-caused climate change. That could lead to huge displacement. In this episode, we speak with Alexander Kjærum, a global advisor and senior analyst with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) who has forecasted some of the potential displacement impacts of the super El Niño. He explains why the weather system may lead to new displacement, highlights specific examples around the world, and discusses how organizations are seeking to use anticipatory action to protect people before disaster strikes. Chapters 01:38 El Niño's Global Weather Impacts 03:22 Displacement Forecasts for East Africa 09:31 Climate Stress, Conflict, and Trapped Populations 14:33 Anticipatory Action, Cost-Efficiency, and Funding Cuts

August 28, 2026Episode 5533 min

Precedent or Cautionary Tale? The U.S. Climate-Driven Relocation of Isle de Jean Charles

In 2016, the U.S. federal government provided $48 million to relocate the climate-threatened Louisiana island of Isle de Jean Charles. The effort, which was the government’s first climate-driven community relocation project, was closely watched as a potential model for the future. But the relocation was more challenging than originally anticipated. Many residents who were members of a Native American tribe felt they had been treated unfairly or were excluded from decisionmaking. In the end, some tribal leaders referred to the process as a “cultural genocide.” We speak with Jessica Simms, a cultural geographer who was Louisiana’s lead outreach and engagement coordinator for the resettlement effort. She traces the array of factors behind the decision to relocate and the mix of successes and challenges along the way. If you appreciate this conversation, please subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. Chapters 01:44 Louisiana's Disappearing Coastline 07:46 Previous Failed Relocation Attempts 09:07 Federal Funding and National Goals 13:50 Miscommunication between Tribes and the State 17:30 Outreach Efforts and Voluntary Relocation 22:02 The Relocation's Legacy

July 31, 2026Episode 5431 min

Fiji on the Front Lines of Climate Mobility

Fiji has long been at the forefront of developing policies to help its residents voluntarily relocate to escape the extreme effects of climate change. The country, which is comprised of hundreds of islands in the Pacific, faces rising sea levels, extreme weather, and other dangers. But for many Fijians, the choice to pack up and leave home is a difficult one. Many have a deep spiritual and personal connection to place, a concept known as vanua. Meanwhile, as one of the largest economies in the region, Fiji is also a destination for migrants from other Pacific Island countries, including those threatened by climate change. How has the government tried to support people who move? What considerations do residents consider when deciding whether to relocate? And what is the response to immigration from other countries? On this episode, we discuss these issues with Sargam Goundar, a Fijian doctoral researcher at the University of Otago. Chapters 01:41 Climate Impacts Unfolding in Fiji 04:54 Government-Led Planned Relocation Framework 08:17 The Concept of Vanua: Cultural Ties to Land 13:10 Community Concerns and Decision-Making Around Relocation 16:44 Fiji as a Regional Migration Destination 22:16 Policy Gaps and Research Priorities

June 30, 2026Episode 5328 min

How the World Is Learning to Respond Collectively to Climate Displacement

The coordinated global response to climate change-driven displacement is relatively new. Just a few decades ago, virtually no governments were paying attention to the ways in which people were being displaced by extreme weather, sea-level rise, and other climate events. Although the international response remains a work in progress, significant strides have been made to bring the world together. One of the people responsible for that coordination is Walter Kälin, a longtime humanitarian expert and legal scholar who is now the Envoy of the Chair of the Platform on Disaster Displacement, a country-led initiative that works to protect people at risk of climate-related displacement. In this discussion, he breaks down where things stand today in terms of a coordinated response and how things might evolve in the future. Subscribe and please leave us a review on your podcast service of choice. Chapters 01:15 Evolution of Global Displacement Policy 06:45 Climate Change Enters the Displacement Agenda (2004–2010) 10:28 The Nansen Initiative and the Birth of the Platform on Disaster Displacement 17:55 Lessons Learned: Bottom-Up Over Top-Down Approaches 19:58 Navigating Declining Funding and Political Fragmentation 24:30 Advice for the Next Generation

May 26, 2026Episode 5234 min

Climate Change Is Making People Sick. Can Migration Help?

Climate change can be devastating for individuals’ health and safety. Climate-linked natural disasters can cause physical injuries and damage health-care systems, while slow-onset changes such sea-level rise can lead to the spread of disease and make it harder for people to obtain care. In that context, leaving a climate-vulnerable place can potentially lead to better health outcomes—but only under the right circumstances. In this episode, we speak with Ilse Ruyssen, an economist at Ghent University and the UN University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies, who leads the CliMigHealth research network. Subscribe to Changing Climate, Changing Migration on Apple , Spotify or YouTube . Chapters 01:19 Health Vulnerability among Climate Migrants 05:13 Groups at Highest Risk 08:36 When Migration Protects Health 11:51 How Climate Change Directly Harms Health 17:02 Strain on Health-Care Systems 22:18 Countering the "Migrants as Health Risk" Narrative 25:48 Mental Health and Climate Displacement 27:48 What to Do?

April 23, 2026Episode 5131 min

Priced Out: Climate Change, Home Insurance, and the People Stuck in the Middle

Climate change is making home insurance more expensive and less available, as the multibillion-dollar losses caused by hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters increase in scale. Rising insurance premiums can push some people to relocate or force others to either pay more money to remain in their home or go without insurance and risk catastrophe if disaster strikes. Residents, insurance companies, and policymakers in high-income countries are beginning to reckon with these issues and are working to find a way to adequately offset risk without charging exorbitant prices. This episode features Talley Burley, who analyzes climate risk and insurance at the Environmental Defense Fund. Subscribe to Changing Climate, Changing Migration on Apple , Spotify or YouTube . Chapters 02:17 How Climate Change Is Raising Insurance Costs 06:04 Hazards Driving Insurability Concerns 07:38 Insurance Costs as a Driver of Migration 09:49 Climate Entrapment and Equity Issues 15:13 Policy Solutions: Adaptation, Building Codes and Wraparound Services 18:52 The National Flood Insurance Program: Origins and Trade-offs 26:00 Hurricane Sandy: Lessons in Recovery and Relocation

April 9, 2026Episode 5030 min

First Displacement, then Disasters: How Refugees Contend with Climate Change

Refugees are often some of the people most vulnerable to climate change. After fleeing armed conflict or persecution, many refugees end up in camps located in rural areas, with few resources and little support. That can leave them vulnerable to floods, storms, extreme heat, or other impacts of climate change. This episode focuses on these impacts, with insights from Ayoo Irene Hellen, a South Sudanese refugee in Uganda and climate advocate. She discusses her own experiences, those of her community, and the value of including refugee voices in planning. Want to dive deeper? Listen to an earlier episode speaking with the UN refugee agency’s special advisor on climate action: https://mpichangingclimatechangingmigration.podbean.com/e/no-climate-refugees-but-still-a-role-for-the-un-refugee-agency/ All of MPI’s work on climate migration is here: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/topics/climate-change 00:00 Intro 02:45 Climate impacts on refugee settlements in Uganda 09:32 Legal and socioeconomic barriers to climate adaptation 16:52 Exclusion of refugees from climate policy processes 19:21 Refugee-led community resilience strategies 23:11 Climate challenges upon return: The case of South Sudan 27:24 Closing thoughts: co-creation and refugee inclusion

February 23, 2026Episode 4924 min

Climate Displacement from Indigenous Lands

Many Indigenous people have a deep connection to their ancestral homelands that dates back centuries. What happens when climate change and other factors force them to move away from those lands? This episode discusses issues affecting Indigenous people, especially in the Americas. Our guest is environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez, a climate justice and Indigenous advocate. She discusses the factors compelling migration for Indigenous communities, their experiences after migration and the dearth of Indigenous voices in policy discussions over climate change and migration.

January 26, 2026Episode 4839 min

Is Climate-Vulnerable Africa Prepared for Increased Displacement?

Africa may be the most climate-vulnerable region of the world, with drought, extreme heat and storms, and other impacts affecting millions across the continent. These environmental events have forced people from their homes and in some cases even contributed to conflict between different groups. By far, most climate-affected individuals who migrate stay either within their own country or go elsewhere on the continent, rather than migrating beyond Africa. How prepared is the continent for a future of increased displacement? Governments are making some strides to accommodate displaced people—although there is often a gap between official rhetoric and the realities on the ground. This episode discusses climate-linked migration issues across Africa with Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo, a senior research consultant at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies.

December 16, 2025Episode 4730 min

Trapped by Climate Change: The Economics of Staying or Leaving

It is not guaranteed that someone harmed by a natural disaster or other environmental change will leave their home. A complicated web of factors affects whether climate-vulnerable individuals want to—or even can—move. One of these factors is financial: How much money or other resources someone has at their disposal. In this episode, we speak with Kelsea Best of The Ohio State University about climate (im)mobility and the economic and other factors that help shape futures amid changing climates. We also discuss the notion of “climate gentrification,” which occurs when wealthier people move into traditionally lower-income neighborhoods that are better shielded from natural disasters and other environmental harms.