Complex pathways of climate mobility for children and youth in Ethiopia

project summary

All over the world, children and youth are feeling the effects of unprecedented, intensifying and in some instances even irreversible climate change. Those growing up in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to these changes. With gloomy prospects, further confirmed by the 2021 IPCC Report, some may seek to move elsewhere before it is too late, others will be forced to relocate, while yet others will be trapped and unable to move. Those most probably staying where they are - because they lack the resources needed to move in terms of finances or networks - will have to face conditions that threaten their ability to survive, thrive, and grow. This project explores how children and youth in Ethiopia - a country severely impacted by climate change - navigate and cope with the effects of worsening environmental conditions. The project explores how children and youth of different genders, and living in different places and situations, experience, talk about, and engage with climate change and its impacts along with what is available in terms of support mechanisms that they can draw on. Ethiopia is a poor country with established rural-urban and international migration traditions. What that means for the aspirations of children and youth growing up under rapid and significant climatic changes is the main question the project sets out to explore. A second and related question is whether and how climate change adaptation and support initiatives shape and influence child and youth mobility within the country and beyond. Knowing the answers to these questions is essential for developing climate change resilient solutions.