Environmental degradation and human mobility nexus in Africa

The link between human mobility and the environment in Africa is discussed, suggesting that an approach to environmental migration should move away from environmental determinism to one that considers the political, social and economic contexts that put affected populations under stress. Vulnerability, low levels of resilience and capacity resulting from population growth, urbanization, environmental degradation and climate change are key drivers of disaster displacement risk in Africa. To mitigate vulnerabilities and displacement risk, it is imperative to address low levels of human development, as failure fosters conflict and instability, thereby increasing the risk of vicious cycles of displacement. Examples are drawn from the Sahel region, East Africa and West Africa for illustration. Similarly, the scale of human mobility triggered by rapid-onset natural hazards is largely determined by the location of homes in areas that are prone to impacts, people’s underlying vulnerability to shocks and stresses that can make their homes uninhabitable, disrupt or destroy their livelihoods and leave them with few safe and voluntary solutions to their predicament and inability to recover quickly from displacement. The chapter emphasizes the need for more data to better understand the link between human mobility and climate change in all its complexity.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Life on Land