Climate Change: Activities of Selected Agencies to Address Potential Impact on Global Migration. The report urges Dept. of State to take action:
Climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, which could drive people around the world from their homes.
We found that, while the State Department, USAID, and DOD haven’t focused on the link between climate change and migration, State identified migration as a risk in one of its climate change risk assessments in early 2017.
However, State later changed its approach and no longer provides clear guidance to its staff on how to assess climate change risks. This may prevent it from identifying and addressing climate change as a factor in human migration.
We recommended State provide its staff with this guidance.