On 8–9 December 2025, members of the Migration Matters team participated in the conference “Climate Change-Induced Migration” hosted by the Evangelische Akademie Loccum in Lower Saxony, Germany. Over two days, researchers, practitioners, and civil society representatives came together to explore how climate change is shaping human mobility — and how we can better communicate this complex relationship.
Our colleagues Bernadette Klausberger (Creative Director, Producer) and Karoline Schulz (Video & Sound Editor) moderated two thematic sessions:
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What Can Senegal Teach Us About “Climate Migration”?
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What Can Typhoon Haiyan Teach Us About Climate Change and Displacement?
Both sessions invited participants to look beyond familiar labels such as “climate refugee” or “economic migrant” and to consider how lived experiences, local knowledge, and multiple intersecting drivers shape migration decisions.
Karoline Schulz and Bernadette Klausberger presenting at Evangelische Akademie Loccum
To enrich these discussions, Bernadette and Karoline shared videos from our series The Big Climate Movement, featuring insights from Caroline Zickgraf and Yvonne Su, alongside stories from our podcast Voices on the Move. These multimedia inputs helped make research findings relatable and accessible — an approach that resonated strongly with participants.
Another highlight of the conference was the keynote delivered by our Executive Board Member Karoline Popp, speaking in her role as a researcher at the Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR). Her talk, “What We Know About the Relationship Between Climate Change and Migration,” offered an evidence-based overview of current research, unpacked common misconceptions, and highlighted areas where more nuanced communication is needed.
Bernadette Klausberger
Throughout the conference, we received enthusiastic feedback on our work at the intersection of migration research, storytelling, and narrative change. Many participants emphasized the importance of making academic insights more accessible, amplifying the voices of affected communities, and fostering more informed public conversations about climate-induced mobility.
If you’re interested in having Migration Matters contribute to your event or conference, we’d be happy to hear from you — please feel free to get in touch.
A big thank you to Deutsche Postcode Lotterie for supporting our educational and outreach work in Germany.