Cross-Ministerial Climate Mobility Policy Responses for Internal Climate Displacement

This is the third in a five part series of ministry-focused briefs setting out rights-based, country-agnostic recommendations on climate mobility that governments can act on now.  To view the rest of the briefs, visit the overview.

WHY RESPOND TO CLIMATE MOBILITY?

Rapid onset and slow onset climate events are increasing the incidence of internal displacement across the world, and not all climate-induced displacement is entirely avoidable.[1] Left unmanaged, internal climate displacement risks becoming protracted or permanent for the individual, and will increase pressure on resources in receiving communities, which will in turn strain social cohesion and degrade institutional trust nationally.

WHY ACT NOW?

Internal climate displacement should be treated as a predictable policy challenge.  Left uncoordinated and unformalised, Government response can at best only respond to climate-induced displacement after each displacing climate event has occurred, rather than through anticipatory action.  Cohesive cross-ministerial policies that proactively anticipate the impacts of climate events can reduce the risk of displacement overall, as well as reduce the scale, duration and repetition of unavoidable displacement, while safeguarding non-discriminatory access to protection and assistance for displaced persons.

KEY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Addressing internal climate displacement holistically means (i) building resilience in order to reduce the risk of displacement in climate vulnerable communities, as well as (ii) ensuring the rights-based recovery and protection of those who are already displaced.  These twin goals can only be achieved through cross-ministerial action from Environment, Emergency Response, Housing and Finance ministries and coordination of their diverse mandates.

1. GOVERNANCE PRIORITIZATION: Internal climate displacement is a cross-cutting resilience issue.  A coordinating authority or dedicated cross-departmental unit should be established to compel cooperation across ministries.  This authority should firstly ensure formal recognition that climate events can cause internal displacement in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.  This authority should also bring together the technical evidence base on climate vulnerable areas ordinarily held by Environment ministries, together with the operational authority of Housing ministries who own the resettlement mandate, and the budgetary remit of finance ministries to unlock anticipatory funding mechanisms.

2. BUILD A DATA-TO-FINANCING PIPELINE: Planning for internal climate displacement requires accurate data and modelling to understand where people are moving from and to, how long for, and what the needs of the impacted communities are.  Longitudinal data that is disaggregated by characteristics and comparative across locations nationwide should be collected to model the needs of climate displaced persons.  This data should sub-categorise climate vulnerable regions to better identify the specific soft and hard infrastructure needs of each region to inform decision making and the allocation of funding.  [Ministry of Finance and National Statistics Office to develop a joint data and finance envelope for Climate Mobility]

3. UNLOCK ANTICIPATORY FINANCE:  Current funding mechanisms tend to be triggered post-disaster declaration, limiting preparedness and overlooking the displacing impacts of slow onset disasters.   Funding mechanisms must be made available to (1) climate-vulnerable communities before climate events occur through investments in climate adaptation, early warning systems and managed retreat as a measure of last resort;[2] and to (2) projected ‘receiving communities’ through investments in affordable housing, education and medical infrastructure ahead of a displacing climate event occurring.  A climate mobility funding envelope within existing finance mechanisms should be made available both as adaptation grants, and anticipatory infrastructure grants. [Ministry of Finance and Emergency Management agencies]

4. ADDRESS HOUSING AS A CENTRAL CONCERN: Research consistently shows that the scale, nature and length of disaster displacement depends on how quickly housing can be restored or provided.[3]  There is a substantial role for Government policy to play in creating equity and reducing dependency on the insurance markets. [Ministry of Housing]

• Housing Policies to reduce the risk of displacement:
  • Affordable housing stock outside hazard-prone areas should be substantially increased.
  • Policies should mainstream the impact of climate effects in urban planning for both sending and receiving locations. This includes implementing municipal zoning laws and other land-use regulations disincentivizing building in hazard-prone areas, as well as re-defining urban service boundaries for the provision of utilities and other infrastructure.
  • Research shows that renter populations are more likely to be displaced than home-owners and suffer from higher climate vulnerability.[4] Renter-specific disaster assistance should be made available to mitigate displacement risks and protect against secondary displacement.  This includes repair-and-return rights, instituting rental rate caps after declared climate events, and replacement requirements for affordable rental units damaged or destroyed after climate events.[5]
• Housing Policies to live sustainably post-displacement:
  • Increase affordable housing stock in receiving communities as well to reduce strain on housing capacity in the event of displacing climate event.
  • Alternative funding models such as blended finance models and housing trust funds should be considered to rapidly scale up the supply of affordable housing.

5. SUPPORT THE CREATION OF POLICY FRAMEWORKS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNANCE: The remit of these briefs is national-level policy, however an effective response to internal climate displacement requires a coordinated State and city-level approach.  For example, support should be provided to develop State-level and city-level climate mobility readiness plans.  These will incorporate hard infrastructure needs such as a one-stop shop for newcomers, as well as soft infrastructure needs such as the rapid reissuance of IDs, licenses and professional certificates.

IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS:

• Stand up a cross-departmental unit as the lead internal climate displacement unit in Government. The unit should formally recognise that slow onset and rapid onset climate events can cause internal displacement.
• Ensure national-level data monitoring captures the nature, incidence, length and route of internal climate displacement.
• Adapt existing arrival services to include the needs of people displaced by climate events.