Migration as Adaptation? Mental Health Impacts of Extreme Climate Events in Brazil

The frequency and severity of extreme climatic events are increasing worldwide. The latest CliMigHealth scoping review shows that mental health is particularly affected. However, the role of migration in explaining this effect is understudied. As a result, it remains unclear when and for whom migration functions as an effective adaptation strategy in the context of extreme weather events. This project addresses this gap by conducting a causal analysis of how internal migration moderates the mental health impacts of extreme climate events among poor populations in Brazil.

This study is conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), under the Climighealth Americas Hub. The CIDACS collaborators create a custom cohort of low-income individuals linked to administrative health records. This unique integrated data is crucial for the causal analysis of how migration moderates the impact of extreme climate events on mental health outcomes.

Lead investigator: Polina Koriukina (Dept. Economics, Ghent University).

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Ilse Ruyssen, dr. Charlotte Scheerens.

Collaborators: Prof. Wim Mauritz and Dr. Clarice Rodriguez (Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro)