On 8 July 2026, the IMPACT project – Increasing Migration and Climate Change Public Awareness through Collaboration and Teaching – hosted its international webinar on Climate Change and Migration, bringing together five leading researchers and practitioners from Switzerland, Belgium, the United States, South Africa and Ethiopia.

The event, held online via Zoom from 17:00 to 18:45 CEST, attracted an engaged international audience of educators, researchers and policy professionals. Gabriele Sospiro (ECEPAA) opened the session with an overview of the IMPACT project framework and moderated the discussions throughout.

A rich programme of international expertise

The webinar featured five presentations covering complementary dimensions of the climate-migration nexus:

• Prof. Etienne Piguet (University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland) examined the global evidence base on climate-induced migration and its policy implications for Europe.
• Florian Debève Vermeiren (Hugo Observatory, University of Liège, Belgium) explored the intersections of climate change, mobility and urbanisation from a European research perspective.
• Kanta Kumari Rigaud (independent expert, formerly World Bank) presented global evidence and policy responses to climate-driven displacement, drawing on her extensive international experience.
• Prof. Abebe Shimeles (University of Cape Town, South Africa) addressed climate-induced displacement in Africa, bridging research insights with actionable policy recommendations.
• Fredu Nega Tegebu (HESPI – Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute, Ethiopia) shared evidence, drivers and policy responses specific to climate-induced migration in the Horn of Africa.

A lively Q&A session followed the presentations, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers on topics ranging from regional displacement dynamics to educational responses and advocacy strategies.

About the IMPACT project

IMPACT is an Erasmus+ KA220-SCH partnership co-funded by the European Union (grant n. 2023-1-BE01-KA220-SCH-000166907), coordinated by ECEPAA (Belgium) and involving partners in Greece, Spain, Italy and Ethiopia. The project develops resources and training for educators and practitioners working on climate change awareness and migration.