India is grappling with severe weather challenges, including intense heat, droughts, and significant flooding, leading to a pressing issue of climate-induced migration. An estimated 14 million people were displaced in 2020 due to extreme weather, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).
As reported by IDMC, India ranks third globally for internal displacements caused by disasters, following China and the Philippines. Projections indicate that climate-related migration could affect up to 45 million individuals by 2050.
Despite the urgency of the situation, India currently lacks a comprehensive policy framework to address climate migration. Mathew A Varghese from Mahatma Gandhi University emphasized that many movements of people are linked to climate change but remain unrecognized as such.
India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), initiated in 2008, provides a general strategy for climate action but does not specifically address displacement management. Saransh Bajpai from the World Resources Institute pointed out the absence of financial mechanisms to tackle climate migration challenges.
In 2022, a private member's bill aimed at protecting climate migrants was introduced in Parliament by Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi. The bill sought to create a policy framework for the rehabilitation of internally displaced climate migrants and establish a climate migration fund, but it did not pass.
Bordoloi highlighted the need for a federal authority to oversee the welfare of climate migrants, advocating for dedicated government funding. Despite being a signatory to international frameworks recognizing disaster displacement, India's internal climate migration remains unaddressed.
At the upcoming COP29 climate summit in Baku, India aims to advocate for enhanced climate finance opportunities for developing nations. Experts suggest that India should leverage philanthropic financing to create innovative solutions for climate migration.