Article published in International Politics and Society (IPS), 12 September 2025.
Spain has faced its most severe climate shocks to date this summer, with prolonged heatwaves peaking at 44°C and wildfires burning more than 380,000 hectares of land. Over 36,000 people were evacuated, adding to a broader trend of climate-induced displacement. Spain already leads Europe in the number of people displaced by floods, storms and fires, with nearly 153,000 between 2008 and 2023. These visible disasters underscore a deeper trend: The gradual degradation of ecosystems and rural livelihoods.
While Spain illustrates the urgency of this issue, it is not unique. Other European states including Italy, France, Portugal and the Balkans are also experiencing record-breaking heatwaves and fires. The Spanish case highlights that climate-related displacement is no longer a distant scenario but a reality within the EU. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has developed projects to estimate displacement and migration linked to climate impacts, while the Horizon 2020 HABITABLE programme explores the habitability of vulnerable regions under slow-onset events like desertification. Internationally, the EU contributes to the UN Task Force on Displacement and the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, mapping how human mobility intersects with climate risks.
"The need for a broader European framework"
Yet significant weaknesses remain. Disaster preparedness is still primarily reactive, with financing and leadership for protection clusters unpredictable and dependent on UN agency negotiations after crises occur. The EU Climate Adaptation Strategy, launched in 2021, references resilience but does not explicitly address climate-induced displacement, leaving a major policy gap. Rights-based approaches to protect vulnerable groups including women, youth, indigenous communities and the rural poor are inconsistently applied across member states. Unlike Africa’s Kampala Convention or IGAD’s Free Movement Protocol, the EU has no legal framework that recognises displacement as a direct consequence of climate change or provides safeguards for those affected. Current EU free movement law, which grants only a three-month residence without proof of resources, is ill-suited for people uprooted by climate emergencies.
Climate change is already uprooting people within Europe. But the EU has yet to create a framework fit for the crisis. - Daniel Harper
The lessons from Spain are clear. The article makes the following recommendations:
- Explicitly recognise climate-induced displacement in EU law and expand the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy to address mobility.
- Ensure stable leadership, financing, and rights-based approaches for protection, with attention to vulnerable groups.
- Develop locally grounded adaptation strategies integrating land use, conservation, and demographic policies in high-risk regions.
- Establish EU-wide governance frameworks for resilience, migration, and mobility beyond fragmented national schemes.
- Invest in early-warning systems, risk assessments, and regional mechanisms (e.g. a firefighting hub) to strengthen preparedness.
This summary is based on extracts from the article authored by Daniel Harper. The original piece in full-length can be found here.
Photo Credit: Fabian Jones/Unsplash.
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