Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement

Climate change is a significant driver of human migration, especially in vulnerable regions like Somalia. This study investigates the relationship between climate variables—average annual precipitation, temperature, and CO₂ emissions—and net migration in Somalia, using time series data from 1990 to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed, Ibtisam Mohamed Omar, Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey, Mahdi Mohamed Omar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Climate
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1529420/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832589866527883264
author Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Ibtisam Mohamed Omar
Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
author_facet Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Ibtisam Mohamed Omar
Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
author_sort Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
collection DOAJ
description Climate change is a significant driver of human migration, especially in vulnerable regions like Somalia. This study investigates the relationship between climate variables—average annual precipitation, temperature, and CO₂ emissions—and net migration in Somalia, using time series data from 1990 to 2020. Additionally, it examines the role of population growth as a factor influencing migration. Applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, this research captures both short- and long-term dynamics, providing insights into how environmental and demographic factors impact migration in this climate-sensitive region. The results indicate that favorable rainfall conditions positively influence net migration, as improved agricultural productivity stabilizes livelihoods, reducing pressures to migrate. In contrast, increased CO₂ emissions, associated with environmental degradation, negatively impact migration by limiting financial capacity, creating a “trapped population” effect. Population growth also intensifies migration pressures by increasing competition for limited resources. Interestingly, temperature variations do not significantly influence migration, possibly due to adaptive strategies or resilience to temperature fluctuations in the region. These findings underscore the need for policies focused on enhancing agricultural resilience, restoring degraded environments, and creating economic opportunities to reduce migration pressures in Somalia. Investments in sustainable land use, climate adaptation, and population management strategies are essential to address the complex challenges of climate-induced migration.
format Article
id doaj-art-b890f566b38a48b4a1b580e7c927438a
institution Kabale University
issn 2624-9553
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Climate
spelling doaj-art-b890f566b38a48b4a1b580e7c927438a2025-01-24T07:13:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-01-01610.3389/fclim.2024.15294201529420Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacementAbdikadir Ahmed MohamedIbtisam Mohamed OmarAbdi Majid Yusuf IbeyMahdi Mohamed OmarClimate change is a significant driver of human migration, especially in vulnerable regions like Somalia. This study investigates the relationship between climate variables—average annual precipitation, temperature, and CO₂ emissions—and net migration in Somalia, using time series data from 1990 to 2020. Additionally, it examines the role of population growth as a factor influencing migration. Applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, this research captures both short- and long-term dynamics, providing insights into how environmental and demographic factors impact migration in this climate-sensitive region. The results indicate that favorable rainfall conditions positively influence net migration, as improved agricultural productivity stabilizes livelihoods, reducing pressures to migrate. In contrast, increased CO₂ emissions, associated with environmental degradation, negatively impact migration by limiting financial capacity, creating a “trapped population” effect. Population growth also intensifies migration pressures by increasing competition for limited resources. Interestingly, temperature variations do not significantly influence migration, possibly due to adaptive strategies or resilience to temperature fluctuations in the region. These findings underscore the need for policies focused on enhancing agricultural resilience, restoring degraded environments, and creating economic opportunities to reduce migration pressures in Somalia. Investments in sustainable land use, climate adaptation, and population management strategies are essential to address the complex challenges of climate-induced migration.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1529420/fullclimate changemigrationrainfalltemperatureCO2 emissionspopulation growth
spellingShingle Abdikadir Ahmed Mohamed
Ibtisam Mohamed Omar
Abdi Majid Yusuf Ibey
Mahdi Mohamed Omar
Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
Frontiers in Climate
climate change
migration
rainfall
temperature
CO2 emissions
population growth
title Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
title_full Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
title_fullStr Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
title_full_unstemmed Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
title_short Climate change and migration dynamics in Somalia: a time series analysis of environmental displacement
title_sort climate change and migration dynamics in somalia a time series analysis of environmental displacement
topic climate change
migration
rainfall
temperature
CO2 emissions
population growth
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1529420/full
work_keys_str_mv AT abdikadirahmedmohamed climatechangeandmigrationdynamicsinsomaliaatimeseriesanalysisofenvironmentaldisplacement
AT ibtisammohamedomar climatechangeandmigrationdynamicsinsomaliaatimeseriesanalysisofenvironmentaldisplacement
AT abdimajidyusufibey climatechangeandmigrationdynamicsinsomaliaatimeseriesanalysisofenvironmentaldisplacement
AT mahdimohamedomar climatechangeandmigrationdynamicsinsomaliaatimeseriesanalysisofenvironmentaldisplacement