Central American Climate Migration is a Human Security Crisis

The author contends that U.S. foreign policy fails to recognize the complex drivers of forced displacement in Central America, specifically the intersection of extreme weather events and structural poverty. The text highlights how the Central American Dry Corridor is particularly vulnerable to droughts and storms, which destroy subsistence agriculture and drive migration. It further argues that many migrants are misclassified as 'economic migrants' when they are actually fleeing climate-induced food insecurity and systemic oppression, particularly among Indigenous groups. The author calls for a shift from a 'hard security' approach to a humanitarian framework based on 'common but differentiated responsibilities' to address the asylum and refugee needs of this population.

• The Central American Integration System (SICA) identifies a range of structural causes for migration, including poverty, inequality, insufficient growth, urban demographic pressure, violence, the U.S. wage gap, and climate change vulnerability. SICA notes that Guatemala, El Salvador, and occasionally Nicaragua are among the 15 most disaster-exposed countries globally.
• Extreme weather events have caused severe agricultural devastation in Central America. In November 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota impacted over 4 million people; in Guatemala, 80 percent of basic staples such as beans and maize were devastated, and 40 percent of subsistence agriculture was affected.
• The Central American Dry Corridor (CADC) represents approximately 30 percent of Central America and is a primary source of migrants. This region faces a convergence of prolonged droughts (2014-2017), coffee rust outbreaks, and climate-induced disasters that exacerbate political and economic vulnerabilities.
• Poverty is widespread in the region, with 40 percent of Central Americans living below the poverty line. Poverty rates are particularly high in Honduras (74 percent) and Guatemala (68 percent), with rural poverty being 10 percent higher in both countries.
• Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected by climate change and development policies. Up to 90 percent of mega-development projects—including mining, energy, and agrobusiness—are located on Indigenous lands, contributing to land grabs and expulsions.
• The author argues that the classification of climate-driven migrants as 'economic migrants' is baseless in international law and ignores the reality of rural poverty and the historic exclusion of Indigenous groups.

APA

Tower, A. (2021). Central American Climate Migration is a Human Security Crisis. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/07/13/central-american-climate-migration-is-a-human-security-crisis/

Chicago

Tower, Amali. Central American Climate Migration is a Human Security Crisis. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2021. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/07/13/central-american-climate-migration-is-a-human-security-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Tower |first1=Amali |title=Central American Climate Migration is a Human Security Crisis |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=13 July 2021 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/07/13/central-american-climate-migration-is-a-human-security-crisis/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{tower2021central, author = {Tower, Amali}, title = {{Central American Climate Migration is a Human Security Crisis}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/07/13/central-american-climate-migration-is-a-human-security-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }