As climate change intensifies, it’s giving rise to a new and often overlooked group: climate migrants. These individuals and families are being displaced not by conflict or political turmoil, but by the forces of nature—rising sea levels, increasingly severe storms, and prolonged droughts. While the image of migrants fleeing the devastation of climate change can be daunting, there is a quieter, more hopeful story unfolding as communities around the world find ways to adapt and rebuild.

The numbers are staggering. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, over 20 million people are displaced each year by climate-related events, a figure expected to rise sharply as the planet warms. Small island nations like the Maldives and Kiribati are at the forefront of this crisis, where entire communities face the prospect of losing their homes to the ocean. Similarly, farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are battling the encroaching desert as droughts become more frequent and unpredictable.

But amid this devastation, there is also a remarkable story of resilience. Take Bangladesh, a country regularly battered by flooding and rising sea levels. Local communities have found ways to adapt, building floating homes and restoring mangrove forests that provide protection from storm surges. These innovations, born out of necessity, demonstrate the power of local knowledge and the ability to adapt in the face of adversity.

On the global stage, efforts to address climate displacement are beginning to take shape. The United Nations has acknowledged the growing crisis of climate refugees, and countries are slowly beginning to establish pathways for those forced to migrate. New Zealand and Canada, for example, are exploring ways to grant refuge to climate migrants, recognizing that the effects of climate change are a shared global responsibility. Although such measures are still in their infancy, they represent a step toward greater international cooperation and acknowledgment of the problem.

While the road ahead will undoubtedly be difficult, the resilience and ingenuity displayed by climate migrants and the communities that support them offer a glimpse of hope. The challenges posed by climate migration are vast, but they also present an opportunity for global cooperation, innovation, and adaptation. With the right policies, technologies, and support, we can create a future in which migration is not a consequence of climate disaster, but a part of a broader effort to protect our planet and its people.