A new narrative: talking differently about climate and displacement

Climate change, poverty and conflicts are mutually reinforcing – and are forcing millions of people around the world to leave their homes. Droughts, floods and storms destroy livelihoods, exacerbate conflicts and lead to humanitarian emergencies. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) shows how closely the climate crisis and migration are linked and why particularly vulnerable countries need more international support. In Germany, however, this connection is rarely clearly stated.

In order to change this, flmh investigated for the IRC how the topics of climate and migration are discussed in politics, the media and the public, and where new approaches are needed. Up to now, migration has only been discussed when it reaches Europe directly – prevention, adaptation and resilience have fallen by the wayside. flmh conducted interviews with experts, evaluated media and social media debates and analysed political positions. This resulted in a clear picture of which narratives are effective, which target groups are difficult to reach and where opportunities for alliances lie.

Based on the results of the analysis, flmh developed a communication strategy that helps the IRC to sharpen its messages and forge new alliances with stakeholders. The focus here is on linking the issues of climate and displacement without using isolationist narratives. In this way, more support can be gained for forward-looking, resilience-building measures.