Displaced by Drought and Deshielo: Experiences of Venezuelan Climate Refugeeism in Colombia

Abstract (English)

Venezuela is experiencing the worst displacement crisis in the history of the Americas, with 8 million having left the country since 2015. This is often attributed to the ongoing political, economic, and humanitarian concerns the country has faced, with little attention paid to the impact of climate-change on refugeeism. Yet, Venezuela faces serious climate-change impacts. It is the first nation to lose all its glaciers (deshielo), has experienced a decade of severe and prolonged drought, and is the only South American country without a climate mitigation plan. This project explored the experiences of Venezuelan climate-refugees in Colombia to understand the impacts climate-crises have on out-migration, livelihoods, and imagined-futures of return. 18 interviews were undertaken with migrants living in Bogota, and stakeholders, to better understand how climate change had impacted upon lives in Venezuela and the decision to migrate. In addition, we undertook a large-scale community mural with Venezuelan and Colombian community members in order to spark public dialogue on climate displacement.
It was found that though the climate was not considered a key motivation for leaving by the migrants, changing weather impacts including droughts and associated disappearance of hunted animals (e.g. fish in rivers, deer in paramos), extreme heating and associated illness, and melting glaciers contributing to water scarcity, accelerated people’s decisions to leave Venezuela. It will be suggested that climate refugeeism is overshadowed in a context of political and social emergencies, however, nevertheless impacted upon people’s lives and need to migrate e.g. through food and water scarcity. Climate change should be carefully considered alongside other displacement factors when addressing the Venezuelan exodus.