Cities leading inclusive responses to climate migration
Climate change could cause up to 216 million people to migrate within their countries by 2050. Impacts such as droughts, floods, rising seas, and extreme weather will push people to cities, where most will seek to rebuild their lives. Over 270,000 people will migrate to Freetown, Sierra Leone; 600,000 to Bogota; while Karachi may see over 2.3 million people migrate to the city by 2050. C40 mayors are showing that, with locally-led anticipatory action, cities can harness migration to drive inclusion and create economic opportunity. This approach builds resilient urban systems that benefit everyone.
When cities integrate climate action with inclusive policies, they can address infrastructure needs, expand services, and create economic opportunities that benefit everyone. Cities are using the opportunity that climate migration presents as a catalyst to create good green jobs, advance social justice, and improve quality of life for all residents, whether they’ve lived in the city for generations or recently arrived.
Additionally, research shows that USD 280 billion could be contributed to 25 city economies by 2040 by training local workers and supporting migrants to fill green jobs gaps.
The Global Mayors Task Force accelerates locally led solutions
Established in 2021, the C40-Mayors Migration Council Global Mayors Task Force on Climate and Migration is a mayor-led initiative that brings together leading cities from Amman, Freetown, London, Milan, São Paulo, and Washington, D.C., under the leadership of C40 Co-Chair Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.
The Global Mayors Task Force helps cities respond to climate migration in three key ways:
- Mayors speak together at major international forums to ensure cities get the funding and support they need
- Cities receive grants of up to USD 200,000 and hands-on help to launch projects like job training programmes for migrants or waste management cooperatives
- Research shows cities how many people might move to their area, what jobs will be needed, and how to prepare infrastructure and services
Visit the dedicated Global Mayors Task Force website to learn more about the Action Agenda, city projects, research reports, and how to get involved.
Cities in action
Accra’s informal waste worker cooperatives
Integrating informal workers and migrants into the formal economy
Through comprehensive dialogue with informal workers, Accra integrated 450 migrant waste workers into formal service delivery systems, facilitating their access to healthcare, childcare, and financial inclusion services.
Freetown’s waste management programme
Creating green jobs for rural migrants
The city loaned tricycles to 40 micro-enterprises run by young people, often rural migrants, in informal settlements. The project helped 240 young people find work while improving public sanitation.
Amman’s Children’s Climate Academy
Meaningful engagement with displaced communities
Through the MMC Global Cities Fund, Amman led a Community Engagement Workshop to develop its Children’s Climate Academy, building climate literacy and resilience among young people.
Frequently asked questions
What specific support and resources does the Task Force provide to member cities?
Since 2021, the Task Force has supported more than 24 cities and changed how governments worldwide think about climate migration.
The Task Force provides support across three workstreams:
Mayoral advocacy: C40 and MMC elevate city voices in multilateral discussions and national policy, with Task Force mayors speaking at major forums including COP, the Global Refugee Forum, and U20. Their advocacy has secured recognition in UN reports and national climate migration policies.
City action: The Task Force provides technical assistance, policy support, and direct funding through instruments including the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees, the Global Green New Deal Pilot Initiative, and the Inclusive Climate Action Fund. Grants of up to USD 200,000 are available to cities for interventions addressing climate migration.
Research and thought leadership:
The Task Force provides cities and mayors with solid data and arguments to support their local programming and inform their global advocacy, through both quantitative data and policy guidance on new emerging issues.
What does climate change have to do with migration and why should cities care?
New research estimates that, by 2050, 8 million people will be displaced across 10 cities in the Global South alone if the Paris Agreement targets are not met.
Whether cities are the origin, transit point or destination for those displaced by the climate crisis, cities will face increasing pressure on their infrastructure, services and socio-economic capacity. However, if planned for and responded to adequately, cities can leverage locally led climate action to:
- Create thriving societies with good green jobs
- Provide opportunities for those previously left behind
- Achieve economic and social justice
- Increase quality of life for all residents
Additional research also shows that $280 billion could be contributed to 25 city economies by 2040 by training local workers and supporting migrants to fill green jobs gaps.
What specific challenges do cities face when dealing with climate-driven migration and displacement?
Cities will face increasing pressure on their infrastructure, services and socio-economic capacity because of climate impacts and related migration.
Limited powers and resources: City leaders are already at the forefront of innovative climate actions, building climate-resilient and economically and socially inclusive cities, despite often limited powers and mandates. Cities often lack sufficient support and finance from national governments and international actors to address these intersectional challenges at the scale needed.
Turning challenges into opportunities: The action taken by city leaders to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis can facilitate the inclusion of migrants and displaced people in cities. The Task Force provides cities with the frameworks, funding, and collaborative support needed to turn these challenges into opportunities for creating thriving, equitable communities.
What is the Global Mayors Action Agenda and how can it help others?
The Global Mayors Action Agenda and its 10 principles provide a three-pronged vision for resilience, inclusion and transformation that cities and mayors can use to push local governments and key stakeholders towards better practices. The research products, including migration projections, green jobs analysis, and loss and damage frameworks, offer concrete data that advocates can use to demonstrate opportunities for inclusive climate action.
Case studies from cities like Freetown, Accra, Amman, and Madrid show what’s possible when cities integrate climate action with inclusive policies. Advocates can use these examples to inspire national governments, international organisations, the donor community and businesses to join efforts and support locally led responses that create thriving, equitable communities.
What impact has the Task Force achieved since 2021?
Since launching at COP26 in 2021, the Task Force has driven change across three areas:
Advocacy: Task Force mayors have secured recognition of cities’ role in climate migration responses in UN reports, the US Government’s first climate migration report, and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. Mayors have spoken at COP26, COP27, COP28, the Global Refugee Forum, Africa Climate Action Week, and U20.
City action: C40 and MMC have provided direct funding and technical assistance to more than 24 cities in the Global South. Projects have created hundreds of green jobs, integrated thousands of informal workers (people working outside formal employment systems, often without legal protections or benefits) into formal economies, and improved climate resilience for communities.
Research: The Task Force has produced groundbreaking reports on migration projections, green jobs gaps, and loss and damage frameworks that are shaping policy discussions globally.
The Task Force’s advocacy has also mobilised over 100 city pledges and USD 80 million in financial commitments through the Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees.