Climate Change and Migration: Navigating Intersecting Crises
A special issue of Challenges (ISSN 2078-1547). This special issue belongs to the section "Climate Change, Air, Water, and Planetary Systems".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 390
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Climate-induced migration is an increasingly urgent issue, highlighting the profound impact of climate change on human mobility and societal structures. Although often imperceptible in the short term, climate change can be seen in statistical trends, such as the rise in global temperature of around one degree over the past 150 years. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including hurricanes and prolonged droughts, have increased sharply, with the number of natural disasters doubling in the last two decades. These phenomena have triggered population movements, highlighting the interplay between climate and mobility.
Climate-induced migration can be broadly categorised into three processes: voluntary or semi-voluntary migration, forced displacement and planned resettlement. Despite its growing importance, this type of migration is often sidelined in public discourse and omitted from many climate policy agendas. The increasing frequency of climate-related disasters and the resulting migration patterns raise critical questions about societal attitudes towards these new migrants.
This special issue seeks to address these pressing challenges and invites submissions that explore the intersection of climate change and migration. Submissions may include original research, perspectives, case studies, initiatives or projects (either complete or still in progress), new proposals or ideas, and more creative works. While the central focus is on the intersection of climate change and migration, submissions exploring related dimensions—such as the role of religion, socioeconomic factors, or political polarization in shaping climate-driven migration—are particularly encouraged.
Dr. Alessandro Indelicato
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Challenges is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- climate change
- migration
- weather events
- climate policy agendas
- climate-related disasters
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
