Livelihood Security: Climate change, conflict and migration in - UNEP

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A comprehensive conflict analysis should
be conducted before designing and implementing
climate change adaptation strategies,
in order to fully understand local and
regional conflict dynamics. 224 Engagement
of affected local communities is paramount
in this process as local communities are usually
best placed to identify conflict risks and
potential solutions, and to provide feedback
on the impact of interventions on these conflict
dynamics. 225
The positive role of migration should also be
considered as part of adaptation strategies.
For example, temporary and circular labour
migration schemes can be developed for
environmentally vulnerable communities –
particularly those at less advanced stages
of environmental degradation.
The benefits of climate change adaptation
policies should be carefully considered
across social groups so that they do not reinforce
inequalities, for example with regard
to ethnicity or gender. Rather, adaptation
policies should address the disproportionate
impacts that climate change, migration
and conflict have on vulnerable groups, and
meaningfully integrate their perspectives and
participation.
3) Root national adaptation strategies in the
“green economy” and promote the creation of
“green jobs”: A green economy aims to improve
human well-being and social equity, while significantly
reducing environmental risks and ecological
scarcities. 226 Employment opportunities and
enhanced food security resulting from improved
agricultural productivity based on sustainable
practices, for example, could increase resilience
to climate stressors and reduce local tensions
and forced displacement.
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Adaptation policies should consider “green
farming” practices, including “climate proofing”
agricultural practices and integrating
traditional farming methods with resourceefficient
techniques. 227 Such practices have
been shown to increase yields, especially
on small farms. 228 It is furthermore important
to prioritize investments that benefit the
local environment and improve ecosystem
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services, as it is these services on which the
poorest people rely on for their livelihoods.
Small landholder production should also
be increased, diversified and commercialized,
thereby creating local job and market
opportunities. One example is organically
produced cash crops that can be sold for
a premium on international markets.
Bringing energy options to the rural poor in
least developed countries has long been a
challenge. Renewable energy technologies
that provide off-grid solutions can not only
help meet this challenge, but also open up
new possibilities for job creation, such as
local manufacturing, installation and maintenance
of equipment, while reducing the
dependence on biomass. 229
Renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting
and efficient waste management
should also be promoted to address the
challenges posed by rapid urbanization and
reduce the vulnerability of urban populations
to changes in climate and the declining
availability of natural resources. 230
New employment opportunities should focus
on increasing the use of local labour, thus
diversifying options for income and reducing
vulnerability to changes in natural resource
availability.
4) Promote regional environmental cooperation
in addressing climate change, migration and
conflict: Issues of climate change and migration
are regional in nature, and as such should
not only be managed at the national level, as is
most commonly the case today. Likewise many
cases of conflict in the region are transboundary,
as competition for scarce natural resources
pushes various groups beyond national borders
in search of improved livelihood conditions.
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The transboundary nature of climate
change, migration and some conflicts
should increasingly be addressed through
regional cooperation, including through
regional institutions like CILSS and ECOWAS,
as well as the African Union. Climate change
adaptation programmes in the Sahel should
Livelihood Security: Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in the Sahel