Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, has one of the fastest growing economies on the continent. But the country’s rapid urbanization rate is fed by refugee migration and informal settlements that are highly vulnerable to the physical risks of climate change. Addis Ababa, the capital city, is home to some of the highest numbers of informal and slum settlements in the world. This makes Ethiopia an important country for research, particularly in relation to climate-related migration patterns.
Read MoreSection six of the new Biden Administration directive on “Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration” orders the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA) to prepare and submit to the president a report on climate change and its impact on migration, with an eye to informing the administration on the international security dimensions of climate-related migration. The order includes studying “mechanisms” for identifying individuals displaced directly or indirectly from climate change and considering options for their protection and/or proposals for how findings on climate migration might inform U.S. foreign assistance programs. The report will cover opportunities to work with international organizations, non-governmental organizations, or localities trying to respond to such migration. It is a huge but important task. The President gave his team 180 days.
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