Climate Change and Human Mobility: The Urban Challenge of Climate Displacement in Colombia

Laura Serna Mosquera

Photo credit: Climate Refugees

Climate change has become one of the most significant drivers of human mobility worldwide, forcing millions to leave their homes. The Groundswell report by the World Bank predicts that by 2050, 216 million people could be internally displaced due to climate-related factors. Similarly, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center recorded 26.4 million new displacements caused by disasters in 2023 alone.^[1]

This crisis directly affects communities’ livelihoods, creating risks such as food insecurity, threats to life and infrastructure from flooding and landslides, and escalating water scarcity. Moreover, these challenges place enormous strain on public infrastructure and service systems, which may ultimately become overwhelmed. These effects influence crucial decisions about whether to stay or relocate. In this context, human mobility raises numerous questions, one of the most essential of which is: where do the displaced communities go?

Rural-to-urban migration is most common, particularly among younger populations in northern Latin America and the Caribbean. This trend is driven by the availability of short-distance relocation options, low moving costs, and potential employment in rural and small-town economies.^[2]

Cities are the primary destination for displaced populations, yet they often lack the infrastructure, housing, and services to accommodate the influx. Climate-displaced individuals typically settle in informal settlements at urban peripheries, which are ill-equipped to handle the increased population. These areas face the threats of secondary displacement, driven by eviction risks and environmental hazards, which further exacerbate their challenges.

Additionally, rapid urbanization exacerbates existing vulnerabilities. Informal settlements in flood-prone or unstable areas face heightened risks from extreme weather events, perpetuating cycles of displacement and poverty. Women, children, and marginalized groups are disproportionately affected, often finding it more difficult to adapt due to entrenched systemic inequalities.

Projections estimate that between 17 and 40 million people could face human mobility conditions by 2050 due to environmental factors, including climate change.^[3] Most displaced populations and migrants are expected to relocate internally to primary, secondary, and tertiary cities rather than across international borders.

Colombia has significant experience with disaster-induced displacement. Between 2008 and 2022, at least 58,539 disaster-related events were recorded in Colombia. By the end of 2022, approximately 41,000 Colombians had been temporarily or permanently displaced by disasters, including floods, landslides, and other extreme hydrometeorological events.^[4]

Urban Challenges in the Face of Climate Displacement

Cities play a pivotal role in addressing climate displacement. Local governments are responsible for maintaining infrastructure, overseeing planning, and implementing environmental policies. To mitigate the challenges, sustainable solutions must focus on adaptation, data systems, inclusive policies, and breaking poverty cycles.

Overall, Colombia has made significant strides in developing public policies to address climate change. Notable frameworks include the Climate Change Law (Law 1931 of 2018), the National Climate Change System (SISCLIMA) established by Decree 298 of 2016, and the National Climate Change Policy (PNCC). These tools integrate sustainability into national planning and strengthen adaptation strategies.

At the local level, cities like Bogotá and Medellín are leading the way in implementing innovative measures. In 2020, Bogotá became the first city in Latin America to declare a climate emergency, prioritizing ambitious mitigation and adaptation strategies. Medellín has embraced nature-based solutions, planting nearly 880,000 trees to create green corridors that reduce urban temperatures and enhance carbon absorption while generating green jobs.

Despite Colombia’s progress in sustainable development and addressing climate displacement, significant challenges remain. A major issue is the lack of a clear legal framework recognizing climate mobility. While climate change policies focus on mitigation and adaptation, there is no explicit acknowledgment of forced displacement caused by environmental factors, or specific measures to restore the rights of affected individuals. A significant advance came with the Constitutional Court’s ruling T-123 of 2024, which recognized internal forced displacement due to environmental factors, including climate change. This ruling underscored the urgent need for comprehensive public policies to address this phenomenon and protect vulnerable populations.

Another major challenge is the absence of robust data systems. While institutions like the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) and the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) exist, many remote areas prone to climate-induced displacement lack the tools to generate and share data. This hampers local governments’ ability to develop effective plans for receiving displaced populations and addressing their needs.

Sustainable Solutions for Cities

Integrating climate risk assessments and prioritizing nature-based solutions in urban planning is essential for building resilience to climate change. Local governments must play a key role in identifying adaptation challenges, ensuring their needs are reflected in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Strengthening technical capacities, providing financial assistance, and leveraging the support of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and development banks are crucial to preparing cities for climate risks and implementing effective adaptation measures.^[5]

Collaboration between national governments, public financial institutions, and the private sector is equally important. Clear mandates for National Development Banks (NDBs) can help mobilize resources for urban climate initiatives, while public-private partnerships can share risks and attract investments in projects like nature-based solutions. These efforts should prioritize sustainability and resilience, ensuring urban areas are better equipped to address climate challenges.

Effective urban planning requires robust data on population dynamics and climate risks. Local governments need enhanced tools to collect and analyze disaggregated data, ensuring that resources are directed to the most vulnerable communities. Integrating environmental data into urban development plans can help cities anticipate and manage displacement flows.

Displacement processes, whatever their nature, have a high social impact on people and communities. Integration of displaced populations into host communities requires cultural and social cohesion efforts: policies must promote inclusivity, reduce xenophobia, and foster mutual adaptation between displaced persons and local residents.

Recognizing the heterogeneity of the communities that arrive in the cities translates into the creation of strategies that allow closing, as far as possible, the gaps that prevent the host community and the migrant community from creating a community together.

Climate-displaced individuals who arrive in urban areas tend to cluster in peripheral zones, which are frequently underprepared to host large numbers of people. Such communities are invariably located in urban peripheries, where job opportunities are scarce, basic infrastructure is lacking, and service delivery systems are still in the early steps.

Access to affordable housing, education, and employment opportunities is essential to breaking cycles of poverty and fostering sustainable development. Public-private partnerships can play a key role in this by creating jobs linked to climate adaptation projects, such as urban greening or renewable energy initiatives. For example, the Medellín Green Corridors project in Colombia transformed roads and vacant spaces into green infrastructure to combat rising temperatures and air pollution. This initiative, driven by collaboration between the city government and private contractors, provided employment for low-income residents in landscaping and maintenance, demonstrating how climate-focused projects can simultaneously address poverty and environmental resilience.

Conclusion

For Colombian cities to effectively address climate displacement and its associated challenges, it is crucial to implement changes at both the national and local levels. This includes creating the currently nonexistent legal frameworks, promoting tools to prevent poverty and human rights violations, and equipping cities with the resources and capacities needed to ensure that urban development moving forward is sustainable and aligned with the demands imposed by the climate crisis.

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[1] Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Report on Internal Displacement 2024; see generally Viviane Clement, et al., Groundswell Part 2: Acting on Internal Climate Migration, World Bank (2021).

[2] Dorte Verner, Reducing Poverty, Protecting Livelihoods, and Building Assets in a Changing Climate: Social Implications of Climate Change for Latin America and the Caribbean, Directions in Development: Environment and Sustainable Development, World Bank (2010).

[3]  Int’l Org. for Migration, Climate Change and Migration in Colombia, IOM (2024).

[4] Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, Datos sobre desplazamientos causados por desastres; Unidad para la Atención y Reparación Integral a las Víctimas, Registro Único de Víctimas (RUV); see  Int’l Org. for Migration, Climate Change and Migration in Colombia, IOM (2024).

[5]  C40 Cities, Why Cities Must Prepare for Climate Migration, C40 Knowledge Hub; see generally Walker, Kira, Immobility: The neglected flipside of the climate displacement crisis, The New Humanitarian, Apr. 26, 2021.

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