Publication: Climate Change and Migration in the MENA Region
Date
2014-07
ISSN
Published
2014-07
Author(s)
Abstract
Climate change and climate-induced
migration (Foresight, 2011) are major global concerns. This
is true for the MENA region as well. Yet empirical data on
how perceptions of climate change and weather shocks affect
migration in the region are scarce. To what extent are
perceived and actual weather shocks and changes in the
environment driving temporary and permanent migration flows?
Do remittances reach households living in climate poor
areas, and if so, what is their impact on poverty and human
development? These are some of the questions considered in a
study by Wodon et al. (2014) based on various data sources
including new household surveys for climate affected areas
in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen (the five
country sample in this note). In a short summary note as
this one, it is important to be clear at the outset about
what is measured and what is not. It is sometimes said that
Climate is what we expect. Weather is what we get. Simply
put, climate relates to the distribution of variables such
as temperature and rainfall over a long period of time. This
distribution is characterized by its moments, including the
mean and the variance of key climatic variables. Climate
change is then used to refer to the change in the
distribution of rainfall and temperature. However, it is
difficult to tell if the weather experienced at a point in
time is due to climate change (the overall mean and variance
of rainfall and temperature) or part of an existing distribution.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Wodon, Quentin; Liverani, Andrea. 2014. Climate Change and Migration in the MENA Region. MENA knowledge and learning quick notes
series;no. 129. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22594 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”