Understanding Climate-Induced Migration

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) developed a spatial multi-criteria model based on 53 structured interviews to analyze the drivers of migration in a climate-vulnerable region, finding that migration decisions are based on individual calculations where economic and social factors are prioritized over environmental factors.

• The SEI team developed a spatial multi-criteria model to analyze the motivations for migration, concluding that the relationship between climate change and migration is not monolithic and is instead driven by a mixture of interacting factors.
• Analysis of the decision-making process reveals that potential migrants prioritize economic factors—specifically unemployment, lack of income, and job opportunities—over other drivers, while environmental factors are typically viewed as underlying causes.
• Using data from 53 structured interviews from a region highly vulnerable to climate change, the study found that migration decisions are based on individual calculations and varying perceptions of economic, social, environmental, and cultural factors.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2023). Understanding Climate-Induced Migration. https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-climate-induced-migration/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Understanding Climate-Induced Migration. 2023. https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-climate-induced-migration/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Understanding Climate-Induced Migration |date=15 February 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-climate-induced-migration/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2023understanding, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Understanding Climate-Induced Migration}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/understanding-climate-induced-migration/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }