United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security

The United Nations University (UNU) is the academic arm of the United Nations (UN). It bridges the academic world and the UN system. Its goal is to develop sustainable solutions for current and future problems of humankind in all aspects of life. Through a problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach it aims at applied research and education on a global scale. UNU was founded in 1973 and is an autonomous organ of the UN General Assembly. The University comprises headquarters Tokyo, Japan, and more than a dozen Institutes and Programmes worldwide.

The Institute spearheads UNU's research and capacity development activities in the broad interdisciplinary field of risk and vulnerability including knowledge-based adaptation and resilience strategies. UNU-EHS addresses the risk and vulnerability aspects of human security and the consequences of complex environmental hazards for sustainable development. The work of UNU-EHS helps to improve the in-depth understanding of the cause effect relationships to find ways to reduce risks and vulnerabilities. The Institute supports policymakers and decision makers with evidence-based research and information.


Members

UNU-EHS Contributed To...

A man in coastal Bangladesh looks out over the sea which once was the land people in his village used to live on. Sea level rise related erosion is a common struggle for people in low-lying coastal areas of Bangladesh that pushes them to move, adapt and manage around. Credit: Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson

Estimating Population Exposure to Sea-level Rise and the Relevance for Migration

This review analyses global or near-global estimates of population exposure to sea-level rise and related hazards and examines subsequent estimates of population migration due to this exposure.

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People with umbrellas on a crowded small boat on a river. Picture to illustrate that mental health is important for Trapped Populations.

Climate-induced (im)mobility decision-making and wellbeing in Bangladesh

This article investigates climate-induced sociopsychological immobility and its link to Internally Displaced People’s wellbeing in a slum of Dhaka.

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Marshall Islands

Climate change, ecosystem services and migration in the Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands experience severe climate impacts and high emigration rates. However, we do not know to what extent people migrate because of climate change. This paper addresses this gap.

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MCII intro photo_making risk insurance work

Climate Risk Insurance for the Poor and Vulnerable

This project focuses on how climate risk insurance can be used as a tool to effectively support poor and vulnerable populations in the aftermath of a climate-related shock.

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meclep - climate adaptation.

Migration, Environment and Climate Change

Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy is a project that aims to contribute to the global knowledge base on the relationship between migration and environmental change.

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abandonned house - climate adaptation.

When do households benefit from migration?

Building on the main results of the MECLEP case study in Haiti, this policy brief recommends policies aimed at fostering the potential of migration as a positive adaptation strategy.

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