Canadian Social Science
The Impact of Climate Change on Forced Migration in the Sahel: Human Rights Perspective (Nigeria as a case study)
Abstract
Climate change casts a long shadow on Nigeria’s Sahel region, driving environmental degradation, disrupting livelihoods, and displacing communities. The consequences are grave leaving the most vulnerable in the society square up against human rights abuses in their search to escape their environmental misfortune. Given this happenstance, this narrative review explores the human rights dimensions of climate change-induced migration in Nigeria’s Sahel region. Anchored by Environmental migration theory, Human rights-based approach, Intersectionality theory, and Governance and policy theory, it investigates the drivers, impacts, and potential solutions to this complex issue. The review sought to identify the environmental drivers and patterns of climate-induced migration in the Sahel, to analyze the impacts of climate change on livelihoods, food security, and human rights in the region, to investigate the specific human rights concerns faced by climate-induced migrants, considering diverse vulnerabilities, and to propose potential solutions and best practices to mitigate the human rights costs of climate-induced migration. The findings revealed that environmental factors like droughts, desertification, and erratic rainfall patterns act as potent “push” factors, forcing communities to migrate and hence can be regarded as drivers. Climate change severely impacts livelihoods and food security, raising critical human rights concerns regarding food, water, health, and education, particularly among vulnerable groups. The review further found that for solutions, a comprehensive approach is needed, encompassing mitigation and adaptation efforts, strengthening legal frameworks for climate migrants, providing humanitarian aid, and investing in sustainable development initiatives. To reduce the problems and challenges faced by Nigerians living in the Sahel caused by climate changes in the area, it is recommended that collaboration and policy action among stakeholders is improved to address root causes and protect human rights and to prioritize equity and inclusion in all solutions and interventions.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/13313
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