Climate mobility and childhood
Examining the risks, closing the data and evidence gaps for children on the move
As hazards such as storms, floods, wildfires, droughts and heatwaves intensify around the globe, many of the places children live are becoming uninhabitable. In tandem, new coping mechanisms and adaptation strategies are emerging: For many children and their families, the choice of whether or not to leave home in order to navigate the impacts of climate change – and whether they have the ability to move – will become a central question of childhood.
This report by the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) examines the impacts of these choices, asking how climate mobility is likely to influence the well-being of children. It addresses several critical questions, including:
- What do policymakers and practitioners need to know to ensure that children on the move for climate-related reasons are not left behind?
- What do the available data and evidence indicate about how children’s rights may be affected by climate-related migration and displacement? Where is more information needed?
- What can be done now to ensure that the response to climate change includes children on the move?
Given the many children who have already left home because of environmental threats – for instance, between 2016 and 2023, there were an estimated 62.1 million new internal child displacements due to weather-related disasters – the needs of this population must be considered with urgency and included in the climate action agenda.
While the relationship between climate change and human mobility is still very much unfolding, and data on this subject remain scarce, the evidence today leaves little doubt that children on the move in the context of climate mobility are likely to encounter steep barriers to accessing their rights. Many children will be deprived of child-critical services – such as health care, basic WASH services, school, and social protection and child protection programmes.
At the same time, many questions remain unanswered as to how climate mobility is likely to shape childhood around the globe. This report explores the challenges of collecting this data and research, highlights best practices from IDAC members and partners, and sets the course for addressing the data gaps.
IDAC’s key recommendations call on key stakeholders and data actors to come together to strengthen data and statistical systems for children on the move in a changing climate, ensuring that the needs of these children are recognised and prioritised.
Download the executive summary
