Climate Migration: Evidence Synthesis on Drivers, Adaptation, and Governance

Eve Tibererwa

Humanities Education Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a significant driver of human mobility, shaping migration patterns through complex interactions between environmental stressors, socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and governance structures. This study synthesizes existing evidence on the drivers, adaptation pathways, and governance responses associated with climate migration. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and systematic reviews, the analysis examines how environmental hazards such as sea-level rise, droughts, floods, and extreme weather events interact with social, economic, political, and institutional factors to influence migration decisions. The study further explores adaptation strategies, including autonomous and planned adaptation, highlighting how mobility can function both as a coping mechanism and as a long-term resilience strategy. At the same time, it identifies limitations and trade-offs in adaptation efforts, including resource constraints, inequality, and the risk of maladaptive outcomes. The governance dimension of climate migration is examined through national, regional, and international policy frameworks that shape migration opportunities, protection mechanisms, and institutional coordination. The evidence also reveals persistent data gaps, measurement challenges, and biases within the climate-migration literature, underscoring the need for improved methodologies and more comprehensive datasets. Case study evidence from regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and Asia demonstrates that climate-related mobility is rarely driven by environmental factors alone, but rather emerges from the interaction between climate stressors and broader development challenges. The findings emphasize that effective climate-migration governance requires integrated approaches that combine adaptation planning, migration management, and climate justice considerations. Strengthening policy frameworks, improving data systems, and promoting international cooperation will be essential to address the growing scale and complexity of climate-induced human mobility.

Keywords: Climate Migration, Climate Adaptation, Environmental Stressors, Migration Governance, and Climate Justice.

CITE AS: Eve Tibererwa (2026). Climate Migration: Evidence Synthesis on Drivers, Adaptation, and Governance. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT ISSUES IN ARTS AND MANAGEMENT, 7(1): 20-28. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJCIAM/2025/71.2028