Transcript Environmentally Induced Migration and Sustainable development

Environmentally Induced
Migration (EIM) and Sustainable
development
By:
Sami Areikat/DSD/UN-DESA
Contribution to “Seminar on Environmentally Induced
Migration and Climate Change”
Session II: Environmental Migration: What Are the
Implications for Development?
United Nations Headquarters, New York, 20 April 2010
Presentation objectives
• Overview EIM as an emerging issue by
DSD/DESA
• Introduction of DSD/DESA initial research on
EIM from sustainable development
perspective.
• The implications of EIM for sustainable
development.
• Sustainable Development: an effective and
comprehensive approach to EIM
Sustainable Development
•
“Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”
• the most frequently quoted definition to SD and adopted by DESA is from
Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report
• SD came to the forefront of public interest in 1992 at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro (the Earth Summit)
• SD continued to develop with major landmarks such as the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and the 2005 World
Summit.
RIO Principles
“Human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable
development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive
life in harmony with nature”
Rio Declaration, Principle 1
The sustainable development guidelines include:
• Integration of economic, social and environmental
objectives
• Development of capacity and an enabling environment
• Improving access to information
• Ensuring broad participation and effective partnerships;
• Fostering country ownership and commitment; and
• Focusing on outcomes and means of implementation.
“Agenda 21” References
• Chapter 5: DEMOGRAPHIC DYNAMICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
– 5.19. The relationships between demographic trends and factors and
environmental change and between environmental degradation and
the components of demographic change should be analyzed.
– 5.20. Research should be conducted on how environmental factors
interact with socio economic factors as a cause of migration.
EIM: An Emerging Issue for Sustainable
Development
• Failing ecosystems, vulnerability to natural hazards
and disasters, gradual climate-driven environmental
changes and degradation is putting pressure on
human migration and can lead to a future crisis in
sustainable development.
• Forecasts of large-scale migration due to climate
change and environmental degradation
– estimates between 50 and 350 million by 2050
SG’s Report to GA64
Climate change and its possible security implications
• Population movements due to changing weather,
drought and flooding can lead to conflicts
• Channels linking CC to security
– Survival strategies (un-coordinated coping)
• competition for scarce resources
• population displacement, forced migration
– both increase risk of violent conflict
– Statelessness: extreme instance of
• resource scarcity and population
• displacement from sea-level rise affecting coastal areas, islands
SG’s Report to GA64
Climate change and its possible security implications
Channels linking CC to security
Background paper on EIM and
Sustainable Development
• The background paper prepared jointly by DSD/DESA, UNUEHS
• Contribution to the overall effort in exploring the emerging
issue of EIM and its impacts on sustainable development.
• An effort to analyze the nexus between environmental change
and migration from the perspective of sustainable
development with focus on migration induced by slow-onset
environmental degradation and exacerbated by climate
change.
The Economic Pillar Of Sustainable
Development
• The main aspects of the economic component of SD
are that:
– Society’s well being would have to be maximized and
poverty eradicated.
– Overriding priority should be given to the basic needs of
the world's poor
• Main economic sectors affected are the ones most
directly depend on the ecosystem:
– Agriculture, forestry, fisheries
– Tourism and utilities
Connections with sustainable development
The Economic Pillar
• Poverty and EIM :
– Impacts on the regions of origin
– Impacts on the regions of destination
– Environmental Migrants settlement in poor urban
residents and slums.
– Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)
The Social Pillar Of Sustainable
Development
• The social component in sustainable development
includes:
–
–
–
–
the relationship between nature and human beings
uplifting the welfare of people
improving access to basic health and education services
fulfilling minimum standards of security and respect for
human rights
– development of various cultures, diversity and effective
grass roots participation in decision-making
– equity (i.e., the distribution of benefits and access to resources)
remains an essential component of both the economic and
social dimensions of sustainable development.
Connections with sustainable development
The Social Pillar
• Food security
• Health and Education
• Gender issues
• Potential conflict over natural resources
The Environmental Pillar Of
Sustainable Development
• The environmental component of sustainable
development is concerned with the conservation and
enhancement of the physical and biological resource
base and eco-systems.
• The main negative impacts of migration on biodiversity:
– Species and genetic diversity loss from an area
– Habitat loss and fragmentation
• The environmental impact of migration on:
– receiving regions.
– sending regions
– transit regions
Drivers of EIM
• Migration induced by the sea-level rise:
–
–
–
Gained a lot of attention in the debate on EIM
Recent cases are those of Tulun (Carteret) and Takuu (Mortlock) in Papua New Guinea
Numbers can increase dramatically in the next decades
• Desertification and land degradation:
“The challenges posed by increased desertification, including protecting the
livelihoods of the millions of people directly affected by desertification, need
urgent attention if sustainable development goals are to be achieved”
Report of the Secretary-General, Desertification, 2009
Summary of Recent estimates of the percentages of the dry lands affected or threatened by
desertification :
• 43% in Africa
• 65% of West Asia
• 35% of China’s territory
• 50% of the Central Asian.
• 25% in Latin America and in the Caribbean
- Report of the Secretary-General, Desertification, 2008
Vulnerable regions
• Developing world in general, Africa and South
Asia, coastal areas
• Conflict-affected countries
• Small Island Developing States
Sustainable Development approach to EIM
• Sustainable Development is an effective and comprehensive
approach to EIM as it takes into account all the dimensions
of the decision to migrate through:









Slowing down environmental degradation
adaptation to climate change
food security
health and education
water supply and sanitation
conservation of biodiversity
building resilience and reducing vulnerability
sustainable use of natural resources
early warning systems and risk management
Sustainable Development approach to EIM
• Special attention needs to be given to the
environmental push factors in all kinds of
development policies including:
•
•
•
•
National Sustainable Development Strategies NSDS
UNFCCC NAPAs, UNCCD NAPs and UNCBD NBSAPs
Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSPs)
Peacebuilding and Conflict prevention strategies
• The importance of economic diversification to
vulnerable areas relying primarily on:
• Agricultural Production
• Fishing
Challenges/ the way forward
• Stronger scientific basis and appropriate data
collection
• Technical expertise development and promotion of
dialogue between experts
• Adequate funding for prevention and adaptation to
EIM
• Consideration of the needs of the most vulnerable
• Synergies between sending and receiving regions
• Risk management and early warning system
• An inclusive and long-term approach to EIM
Thank you
Sami Areikat