Global joint action must be taken on climate, migration, and development!
It is estimated that at least 1.2 billion people will undertake climate migration by 2050!
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center, stated that in the digital world, migrants are transforming from uprooted individuals into integrated, networked individuals within a community.
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı said, “As humanity, we urgently need to take global joint action on climate, migration, and development to slow down the migration of millions of people that could occur in the very near future due to disasters triggered by climate change.”
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı, Director of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Human Rights Studies Application and Research Center, evaluated the effects of climate change on migration on the occasion of December 18 International Migrants Day.
Problems such as deepening social harmony issues can be experienced in countries receiving migrants
Stating that the migration process, which affects many aspects of society, has a complex and multifaceted nature, Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı said, “This process has socio-economic effects such as population structure, economy, culture, and education for both receiving and sending regions. In countries receiving migrants, in addition to economic costs, problems such as the deepening of some social and cultural adaptation issues can be experienced. In countries sending migrants, a decrease in population leads to lower birth rates, the prominence of a uniform socio-cultural structure, and observed gaps in some sectors of employment.”
Employing migrants as cheap labor is seen as a cause of unemployment
Explaining that today, mass and irregular refugee flows have serious consequences for host countries, causing this situation to be perceived as a threat in cultural, economic, and social terms, Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı said, “From a societal perspective, various views have emerged regarding migration being perceived as a threat due to its indirect impact on individuals' economic lives. For example, countries providing allowances to these migrants due to unemployment problems among them has caused reactions among the public. Furthermore, the employment of migrants as cheap labor is also seen by society as a cause of unemployment.”
What do the difficulties migrants face in adapting during irregular migration lead to?
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı also noted that migration, with its sociological and psychological aspects, has a wide impact on both the individual's personal life and social life. He stated, “Especially during irregular migration, the difficulties and hardships migrants face in adapting lead to problems in social order and in the migrant's own life. On the other hand, with intense migration flows, the increase in urban populations is observed to increase environmental pollution. The biggest reasons for this are seen as reduced resources, unplanned urbanization, infrastructure problems, unemployment, traffic, inequalities, and the reflection of social incompatibilities on the environment.”
In the digital world, migrants are transforming into integrated, networked individuals within a community
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı stated that the issue of migrant integration is important for minimizing problems during this process, and continued:
“In cases where social harmony cannot be achieved, the difficulties experienced affect the entire country. In this context, states' social integration policies and practices for migrants are of great importance. The characteristics of the host society and its attitudes towards migrants play an important role in this process, as much as the migration policies of the states guiding the phenomenon of migration.
Digital technologies are qualitatively changing many aspects of migration by providing a different information environment. Real and potential migrants have the opportunity to connect to social networks, maintaining connections between their home countries they left and the new countries they settled in, as well as with other migrants and non-migrants. These technologies also help to eliminate deficiencies in services for migrants and improve services. In the digital world, migrants are transforming from uprooted individuals into integrated, networked individuals within a community.”
What are the causes of conflicts sometimes observed between migrants and local populations?
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı stated that there are different reasons for the conflicts and tensions between migrants and the local population. He said, “The first of these is the perception of an economic threat. At this point, narratives such as 'They will come and take our jobs', 'They are raising rents', 'They are benefiting from the rights of the welfare state' come to the forefront. However, people's perception can be that migrants create this risk economically. On the other hand, migrants can be perceived as a threat to the local population's way of life. At this point, negative perceptions and stereotypes about migrants come into play. The third is the perception of migrants as a physical threat. In societies, it is a widely expressed narrative that migrants are more prone to crime and pose a threat to security, even though data shows the opposite.”
From a human rights perspective, particularly resolving the issue of human trafficking...
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı also explained that asylum seekers, representing the irregular aspect of migration, face numerous human rights violations in various countries around the world. He said, “From a human rights perspective, priority issues in this regard include resolving the problem of human trafficking, providing legal, social, medical, and psychological assistance, creating environments that facilitate return to their homes, and combating 'othering', hate speech, and discrimination. When we look at all these problems, there is a need for a healthy assessment of the current situation, a needs analysis, and the development of necessary regulations and policies based on these findings. In particular, policies and mechanisms to prevent discrimination and human rights violations against child, elderly, and female refugees, who are in a vulnerable risk group, must be activated. Furthermore, it is vitally important that the local population affected by asylum seekers and refugees does not suffer from this process.”
In the last 10 years, 1.7 billion people worldwide have been affected
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı also noted that reports published by international institutions and research centers state that 1.7 billion people worldwide have been affected by climate and weather-related disasters in the last 10 years. He said, “One of the most important consequences of climate change is climate migration. Weather events such as water pollution, erosion, high temperature increases, drought, and floods caused by climate change are becoming important determinants of the migration phenomenon. According to statistics from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 21.5 million people have already been forced to leave their homes due to climate change since 2010. This trend is expected to accelerate and, when combined with other crises, create a multiplier effect, leading to an estimated 1.2 billion people undertaking climate migration by 2050.”
‘Climate refugees’ or ‘environmental refugees’...
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı stated that currently, migration due to climate conditions primarily occurs as internal migration. He added, “However, depending on the subsequent course of climate change, the globally increasing trend of population displacement, when combined with conflict and violence, is expected to lead to an increase in cross-border external migration movements. The growing threat of climate migration also necessitates legal regulations in this area. While 'complementary protection' or 'temporary protection' can be provided in the laws of some states for people referred to as 'climate refugees' or 'environmental refugees', the legal regulations of some states do not foresee any protection for climate refugees.”
Policies to help people must be developed
Prof. Dr. Ebulfez Süleymanlı also noted that leading environmental researchers and organizations advocate for the recognition of climate migration and the development of policies to help people displaced due to environmental problems. He concluded, “This can include the development of international agreements, the establishment of funding and technical support mechanisms, the sharing of experiences between countries, and knowledge transfer. In the very near future, as humanity, we urgently need to take global joint action on climate, migration, and development to slow down the migration of millions of people that could occur due to disasters triggered by climate change.”