Climate change and international migration in Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects and transmission channels

The objective of this article is to analyze the effect of climate change on international migration. To achieve this goal, we worked with a sample of 45 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2000 to 2020. Using a Two-Way Fixed Effects (TWFE) estimator on country-time fixed effects model, the results indicate that: (i) climate change exacerbates international migration. Specifically, we observe that increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitations increase population migration flows. (ii) Climate change influences international migration through the channels of agricultural productivity, conflicts, migrant remittances, education, and information and communication technologies (ICTs). To mitigate migrations resulting from climate change, we recommend implementing strategies such as resilient agriculture and conflict mediation. Additionally, we suggest providing training, utilizing migrant remittances and applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) specifically targeted at climate risk mitigation.