This report has three main sections. In Water, migration and how they are interlinked we raise an issue that is
central to the ongoing migration crisis in the Middle East and Europe. Some have claimed that drought is part
of the underlying cause of the Syrian conflict and the subsequent hunger and migration.
At a time when we are witnessing some of the largest refugee flows since the second world war, and water crises are being highlighted by the World Economic Forum in their 2016 Global Risks Report (WEF, 2016) as the most important concern for the coming decade, the importance of trying to understand the linkages between water and migration is widely accepted. Increasingly, researchers and policymakers are seeking to explain migration and refugee flows in terms of water scarcity – often perpetuated by climate change. We argue for caution and deeper analysis, and not to look for ”easy” answers to complicated questions.