Foreword from the C40-MMC Task Force on Climate and Migration: 2021–2024 Impact Report by C40 Cities Executive Director, Mark Watts, and Mayors Migration Council Executive Director, Vittoria Zanuso
From unprecedented flooding in Brazil to protracted drought in the Horn of Africa and repeated wildfires in North America, climate change is increasingly driving migration beyond scientific projections, and cities are unequivocally at the forefront of responses.
By 2050, climate impacts could force more than 160 million people to move within their countries in just three regions alone – sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Globally, up to a billion people could be driven from their homes within the next 30 years – less than half a lifetime.
Most of these journeys will lead to cities. New C40 and Mayors Migration Council (MMC) research funded by the Scottish estimates that eight million people are likely to move to 10 global south cities – from Bogotá (Colombia) and Amman (Jordan) to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Karachi (Pakistan) – as a result of the climate crisis alone if Paris Agreement targets are not met.
Mayors are taking action to meet this reality head-on, aiming to transform migration into an opportunity to build better cities for all. In 2021, a leading group of C40 and MMC mayors came together to form a Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration with the aim to drive awareness about the urban dimension of climate migration and accelerate solutions in cities and globally.
This report takes stock of what the C40-MMC Task Force has done, highlights the impact of this mayoral collaboration and sets the scene for what is needed next.
In just three years, the Task Force has delivered a first-of-its-kind mayor-led Action Agenda to influence national and international responses, driven funding to city-led solutions to prove action is possible and built an evidence base to position mayors ahead of the game on frontier issues of climate justice – from loss and damage to good green jobs for urban migrants and refugees.
The Task Force is now a trusted voice driving climate migration discussions and is recognised by the United Nations Secretary-General, among other national and global leaders, as leader in the field. Now, a growing coalition of mayors worldwide consider climate migration as a priority issue and city leaders are increasingly welcomed to join coalitions of leaders in this field, such as the Climate Migration Council.
This report demonstrates that when mayors unite and speak with one voice, they have the capacity to set the agenda for national governments and international organizations to follow. It highlights actions cities are taking on climate migration to lead by example. Such as Freetown, which launched a waste management programme that loans tricycles to migrant-run micro-enterprises. Today, these enterprises have provided thousands of rural migrants with the means to rebuild their lives in Freetown, while spearheading the city’s shift toward a greener, more sustainable future. Or Milan, which is developing a public policy programme focused on creating good green jobs and reducing energy poverty, improving energy efficiency and at the same time boosting employment of women, youth and migrants in the sector. Lastly, the report showcases critical thought leadership and research C40 and MMC had led to build an evidence base for stronger mayoral advocacy and action.
Climate change is the real crisis of our time, yet the way in which people adapt to its impacts, including through migration, does not need to be.
On this three-year anniversary of the Task Force, we commit to strengthening collaboration and joint diplomacy to drive critical finance and policy shifts so cities can address the climate crisis and ensure migration is an opportunity not a crisis. We look forward to scaling up this work with leading mayors and partners—including new context-specific research, peer-to-peer support and direct funding for cities— to deliver the urgent action needed and bring along more partners at all levels of governance.
With 2024 likely to be the hottest year on record, no one benefits from delayed climate action and humanity cannot afford more missed opportunities. Building on the successful accomplishments of the past three years, C40-MMC mayoral and organisational leadership stands ready to work with leading mayors, governments, partners and donors to deliver change at the scale needed.