In Central Africa, a small freshwater lake bordering Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad has shrunk by 90% over the past few decades. The change in water levels in Lake Chad are contributing to the rise of a new type of migrant: climate refugees. For people living on the banks of the lake, the falling water levels are an indicator of hunger, impending conflict and displacement. For some researchers, meanwhile, examining water levels, the stress the falls place on rural livelihoods and the relationship they have with conflict can indicate when large-scale forced migration might occur.
Climate change has pushed people to move from their homes and will continue to do so. Not all will be officially classed as migrants because they will not cross a national border: according to a report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 23.7m people moved within their countries because of climate-related disasters in 2021.
What is more, climate change will exacerbate other problems that already drive people to move. For example, a White House report has found that the regions most vulnerable to climate change usually also suffer conflict and violence.
