Between COP26 and the UN Global Compacts: EU–U.S. Cooperation on Climate Change and Migration
March 31, 2022
As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, increasing numbers of people are forced to flee their homes, both within and across borders. Governments and policymakers around the globe face this challenge, yet often do so in silos, with migration, climate, development and foreign policies not as interlinked as they should be. The EU and the US – both important actors in all these policy areas – therefore face significant challenges in responding to climate-induced migration and displacement.
Following the UN’s 2021 Climate Change Conference (COP26) and ahead of the four-year anniversaries of the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees, this online Policy Dialogue convened EU and US stakeholders to discuss how transatlantic cooperation on climate-induced migration and displacement can be taken forward. While COP26 served as a reminder of the need to step up global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, the upcoming review of the Global Compacts will offer opportunities to assess states’ progress in addressing the links between climate change and migration.
What challenges do the EU and US face? What lessons can be drawn from the Biden–Harris Administration’s and the EU’s policy responses to climate change and migration so far? What are the opportunities for transatlantic leadership to address climate-induced displacement across different policy areas? This discussion will be moderated by Helena Hahn of the EPC’s European Migration and Diversity programme.
Speakers:
- Francesco Luciani, Head of Unit – Migration and Forced Displacement, DG INTPA, European Commission
- Kayly Ober, Senior Advocate and Program Manager of the Climate Displacement Program, Refugees International
- Kira Vinke, Head of Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
- Marta Youth, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration U.S. Department of State
Moderator:
- Silvia Carta, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre
Banner Photo Caption: People in Satkhira, Bangladesh walk across a dried river bed on November 12, 2015. © Zakir Hossain Chowdhury / Barcro / Barcroft Media via Getty Images