Navigating Climate Currents: Unraveling the Regime Complex for Climate Migration

• In Event: Climate Change and Global Governance

Abstract

An array of international organizations (IOs) are working to address issues of environmental governance and human migration. Climate migration is a cross-cutting issue at the intersection of these policy areas, challenging IO coordination around this growing crisis. Some institutions serve clear roles as coordinators---like UNFCCC---or leaders---IOM---while others---UNEP---do not take on a key role. Is there a regime complex on climate migration? If not, why not, and what are the implications for climate migration policymaking at the state and interstate levels? Employing a qualitative analysis of policy documents, conceptual frameworks, and institutional structures, we explore the intersections, duplications, and hierarchies among IOs addressing climate migration. Our findings reveal a complex web of institutional arrangements, characterized by both cooperation and competition, identifying key factors shaping this regime complex. Understanding the dynamics of these institutional arrangements is crucial for fostering global governance mechanisms to manage the challenges posed by climate-induced migration.

Authors

• Sabrina Beth Arias, Lehigh University

• Meghan Garrity, George Mason University