Climate-Induced Migration from Central America

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which climate change is acknowledged as a major driver of migration from Central America, both by experts in the field and by people working for organizations assisting migrants. It relies on secondary sources (including recent reports by the International Organization for Migration), two case studies of Honduras and Guatemala, and primary evidence in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with a variety of experts. Overall, my interviewees believe that climate change is increasingly a push factor for migration from Central America, especially as it combines (and worsens) other factors. My study confirms experts’ findings that the contemporary drivers of global migration are complex and intertwined.