Climate Migration and Political Crisis: A Theological Analysis of Displacement and Human Dignity

Joseph O. Ige PhD

doi:10.56201/jpslr.vol.12.no3.2026.pg128.137

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Climate Migration and Political Crisis: A Theological Analysis of Displacement and Human Dignity

Joseph O. Ige PhD

Abstract

Human displacement is getting more and more motivated by climate change and political crises that pose urgent questions of human dignity, ethical responsibility and policy responses. The paper will focus on climate-induced migration in the context of the theological approach and look at how the religious and ethical frameworks can justify humanitarian and political response in the context of displaced population. Relying on the cross-disciplinary literature, the paper examines how all environmental stressors, governance failures, and socio-political instability interact and find a way to the disadvantaged communities (de Sherbinin, Grace, McDermid, van der Geest, Puma, and Bell, 2022; Black et al., 2011; Bettini, 2013). It also assesses current legal and policy frameworks of climate migration, outlining space in protection and accountability (Docherty and Giannini, 2009; Okedele, Aziza, Oduro and Ishola, 2024). The theological view focuses on stewardship, human dignity, and moral responsibility toward displaced individuals, which offers a normative basis of responses to displacement caused by climate (Igwe, 2025; Johnson, 2012). Offering an insight into the environmental, political, and ethical aspects, this research will contribute to the overall concept of climate migration as a multidimensional process, promoting policies and interventions that will not harm human dignity and are attentive to the socio-political reality of displacement. The results highlight the need to integrate practical, legal, and moral initiatives to reduce the effects of climate crises on the vulnerable groups.

Keywords

Climate migrationpolitical crisishuman displacementhuman dignitytheological ethicsenvironmental justice

References

Bettini, G. (2013). Climate barbarians at the gate? A critique of apocalyptic narratives on ‘climate refugees’. Geoforum, 45(4), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.09.009 Black, R., Bennett, S. R. G., Thomas, S. M., & Beddington, J. R. (2011). The effect of environmental change on human migration. Global Environmental Change, 21(S1), S3– S11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.001 Borràs-Pentinat, S. (2024). Climate migration: A gendered perspective. EPL Journal. https://doi.org/10.3233/EPL-239008 Bronwynne, B., & Chapin, F. S. III. (2013). Capture and the consequences of climate change for indigenous mobility. Conservation and Society. https://doi.org/10.4103/0972- 4923.121034 de Sherbinin, A., Grace, K., McDermid, S., van der Geest, K., Puma, M. J., & Bell, A. (2022). Migration theory in climate mobility research. Frontiers in Climate, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.882343 Docherty, B., & Giannini, T. (2009). Confronting a rising tide: A proposal for a convention on climate change refugees. Harvard Environmental Law Review https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1430947 Hein, J., et al. (2025). (Re)opening the politics of climate migration: The ‘alter-’ agenda. Global Migration Studies, 2025(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544251346323 Igwe, T. O. (2025). Displaced peoples and creation’s groaning: Toward a biblical ecotheological ethic for climate migration. Direct Research Journal of Social Science and Educational Studies, 13(3), 131–145. https://doi.org/10.26765/DRJSSES82922635 Johnson, C. A. (2012). Governing climate displacement: The ethics and politics of human resettlement. Ethics & International Affairs https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2012.651905 Okedele, P. O., Aziza, O. R., Oduro, P., & Ishola, A. O. (2024). Climate-induced migration: Global legal implications and human rights challenges. International Journal of Science and Technology Research Archive, 7(2), 084–096. https://doi.org/10.53771/ijstra.2024.7.2.0071

Climate Migration and Political Crisis: A Theological Analysis of Displacement and Human Dignity

Abstract

Keywords

References

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