Environmental Change, Migration, and Peace in the Northern Triangle

Mar 14, 2022 | Jill Baggerman
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Relative to the governance challenges, violence, and inequities, environmental pressures have historically played a more minor role in migration trends. However, Central America has been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the regions most sensitive to climate changes, said Pulwarty.  

Iliana Monterroso, an environmental scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research, said that when we talk about Northern Triangle countries, “we’re talking about multiple crises,” including social and environmental conditions, “that increase populations’ vulnerability to be affected by weather extremes, weather events, and other climate change related risks.” 

“There is a growing recognition that climate change is going to affect security and it’s increasingly shaping peoples’ decisions about where to move, where to live, and how to plan their futures, but how migration, climate, and insecurity connect and drive risks is not always as clear cut as the headlines would have us believe,” said Cynthia Brady, Global Fellow and Senior Advisor with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, at last month’s International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding.