Climate, environment and migration : experiences of migrants in South Africa

Abstract

This article examines the impacts of climate- and environment-related adversity on migration from other sub-Saharan African countries to the prominent migration destination of South Africa. It describes factors and processes influencing migration decisions and identifies migration policy implications. Information was gathered through in-depth qualitative research conducted with 20 migrants now residing in South Africa’s Gauteng province, as well as interviews with key informants with expertise on migration and climate change and a review of existing literature.

The principal finding is that although climatic and environmental stresses are not the primary drivers of migration, they play important direct and indirect contributing roles, often intersecting with economic, political, social and demographic drivers. Whether people respond to adverse conditions by migrating depends on the obstacles and facilitating factors, personal and household characteristics, and expectations of the destination. National and international migration policies need to more comprehensively address these increasingly important determinants of migration.