"Climate Matching" and International Migration

Climate change is an increasingly studied driver of migration, yet little is known about how relative climate shapes migration decisions. Do migrants consider the similarity in climate between origin and destination? This talk introduces the concept of climate matching in migration—the idea that migrants seek destinations with familiar climates. It presents new empirical findings and discusses climate-specific skills and climate-as-amenity as matching mechanisms. What are the implications of climate matching for the development of international climate and migration policy?

Charles Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is an economist specializing in the environment, agriculture, and climate change. Prof. Taylor previously worked at The Earth Partners, McKinsey & Company, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and co-founded the Drylands Natural Resource Centre. He holds a PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University (Wallace E. Oates Award) and was a Ciriacy-Wantrup fellow at UC Berkeley.

This seminar will be held in E53-482 (Millikan Room). Lunch will be available. Please RSVP here. 

Contact Kate Danahy at kdanahy@mit.edu with any questions. 

This event is part of the CIS Global Research & Policy Seminar Series. Join our mailing list here to learn about upcoming seminars in the series.