A new index for climate-induced migration uncertainty

Abstract

The impact of climate change on the world has been significant, leading to various efforts to reduce its risks. This study aims to create a new index to measure the uncertainty surrounding migration due to climate change. It uses a range of international newspapers with a global readership. Although climate change has increasingly influenced migration decisions in vulnerable areas, there is still a lack of quantitative research exploring this connection, which our study aims to address. The index indicates a growing trend in climate-induced migration decisions, especially over the last two decades, supporting the study's purpose. We also present empirical results that validate the depressing effect of the uncertainty index on per Capita GDP growth at global, regional and country-specific levels. The index has various practical applications and can be useful for future research.