Extreme heat and migration

This IOM infosheet explores the links between extreme heat and migration and provides an overview of the challenges faced, as well as possible ways to address them. It provides information on the risks of climate change and the most affected regions globally, assesses the links between climate change-induced extreme heat and migration, and suggests addressing the challenges through new innovative partnerships, country-specific research to identify hotspots, and proactive adaption policies.

The impacts of climate change on global temperatures profoundly affect people’s ability to sustain their livelihoods as well as their health; both of these dimensions in turn influence the migration of people. Indeed, increasing heat related to climate change is likely to result in more disruptive events, such as frequent droughts, wildfires, episodes of extreme temperatures and heat waves. Such events are already directly and indirectly displacing large numbers of people each year and likely to lead to the migration of more people in the future.