IMPACT Webinar
Climate Change and Migration
8 July 2026 | 17:00–18:15 CEST | Online via Zoom
About the Webinar
Climate change is one of the leading drivers of human displacement today.
The IMPACT project brings together researchers, educators and practitioners from across Europe and Africa to understand and address this growing challenge. Through field visits, international workshops and collaborative research, IMPACT explores the complex links between environmental change and migration — from the Horn of Africa to the heart of Europe.
Our upcoming webinar will bring together leading experts to share findings, discuss policy implications and open the conversation to a wider audience.
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Meet the Speakers
Gabriele Sospiro, Ph.D. | ECEPAA, Belgium
Welcome & IMPACT project framework
Gabriele Sospiro is Director of ECEPAA (European Centre for Economic and Policy Analysis and Affairs) in Brussels and coordinator of the IMPACT Erasmus+ project. His work focuses on migration policy, climate change and educational capacity building across Europe and Africa.
Prof. Etienne Piguet | University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Climate-induced migration: global evidence and policy implications for Europe
Etienne Piguet is Professor of Geography at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). He has written extensively on migration flows, refugees, labour market integration and statelessness, and is currently leading research projects on climate mobilities in Western Africa and the Global North.
Florian Debève Vermeiren | Hugo Observatory, University of Liège, Belgium
Climate change, mobility and urbanisation: a European research perspective
Florian Debève Vermeiren is a researcher at the Hugo Observatory (University of Liège), one of Europe’s leading centres for the study of environmental migration. His work focuses on the links between climate change, human mobility and urbanisation processes.
Kanta Kumari Rigaud | Indipendent
Climate change and migration: global evidence and policy responses
Kanta Kumari Rigaud is a Climate and Environment Specialist with over 25 years of experience in climate change, natural resource management and resilience policy working at the World Bank. She is lead author of the landmark Groundswell report on internal climate migration.
Prof. Abebe Shimeles | University of Cape Town, South Africa
Climate-induced displacement in Africa: from research to policy action
Abebe Shimeles is Professor of Economics at the University of Cape Town. His research focuses on development economics, labour markets and the socioeconomic impacts of climate stress and displacement in Africa.
Fredu Nega Tegebu Ph.D. | HESPI, Ethiopia
Climate-induced migration in the Horn of Africa: evidence, drivers and policy responses
Fredu Nega Tegebu is a researcher at HESPI (Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute) in Addis Ababa. His work focuses on climate vulnerability, food insecurity and human mobility in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa region.