Millions of displaced people continue paying a heavy price for the gap between climate risk and climate action, and time is running out for millions more, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope warned as the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) opens in Antalya, Türkiye.
IOM is calling for urgent, long-term development and investment to help communities adapt and stay safely at home, before they are forced to flee.
In 2025, nearly 29.9 million displacements were recorded following storms, floods and other disasters. Many people were forced to flee more than once, so each move is counted separately. The total is higher than the average of the past ten years.
"No one wants to leave their home. People want to stay safe and go back when they can, and we know what works: early warnings save lives, stronger homes hold up, and healthy land and water keep people on their feet," said Amy Pope, IOM's Director General. "But this takes long-term investment, not quick fixes after disaster strikes. What's missing is investment at the scale needed. Every year we wait, more families lose everything. That's why COP31 must deliver."
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), storms alone caused 17.9 million displacements. In the Philippines, typhoons and floods drove more than a third of all disaster displacements worldwide. Many of these were evacuations that saved lives. And this is not a one-off: in 2024, disasters triggered 45.8 million displacements, the highest number ever recorded.
The money is not there. Developing countries will need between USD 310 billion and USD 365 billion a year for climate adaptation by 2035, according to the UN Environment Programme. In 2023, international public adaptation finance reached just USD 26 billion, down from USD 28 billion the year before. That is less than one-twelfth of what is needed.
"This gap has a human cost," DG Pope said. "When communities cannot protect themselves, the next flood or drought pushes more people out. Many end up in crowded cities or informal settlements, where they face the same risks again. Moving entire communities must remain a last resort."
At COP31, IOM is calling on governments, development banks, climate funds and the private sector to scale up investment in local-led adaptation and climate resilience. Climate finance, including for loss and damage, must be reliable and easy to access. It must reach local governments, community groups and frontline organizations, not just national capitals. Short-term projects are not enough. Communities need lasting investment before disaster strikes, not only after.
IOM has launched more than 500 climate mobility projects in 80 countries since 2020, and more than 200 are active today. Its Risk Index for Climate Displacement shows governments where people are most at risk of being forced to move. That evidence feeds into locally led solutions and investment plans that are ready for funding.
IOM backs climate adaptation and resilience solutions that communities lead themselves: restoring damaged land, securing water supplies, and making homes and infrastructure stronger. Its Climate Mobility Innovation Labs turn local ideas into solutions that can be funded and scaled up.
Migrants and displaced people are also part of the solution. Their skills and ideas help communities adapt, and the money many send home helps families rebuild after disasters.
COP31 has been called the implementation COP. For millions of people on the front lines of climate crisis, that cannot wait.
