Unveiling the Invisible Reality of Climate Migrant Stories in the Lower Mekong Basin
In the midst of a variety of troubling contemporary global issues, climate migrants are frequently overlooked, particularly in the context of the reality of climate migrants in the Mekong River region. Climate change and migration appear to be treated as secondary issues in this region compared to other current political issues. Data show that the river basin was extremely rich, with enormous valuable resources critical for the communities living near the river. The Lower Mekong Basin is home to approximately 65 million people, 50 million of whom rely directly on the river for socioeconomic and livelihood activities (Pal et al., 2023). The current climate crisis and environmental degradation have contributed to a significant dramatic shift in seasonal and weather patterns in the region, making them more severe and extreme. The Standardized Precipitation Index projection for 2020 showed that drought caused by the combination of El Nino has contributed to more severe and extreme conditions in the south of Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam (Dutta, 2020). This climate projection undeniably has had devastating consequences for people who rely on them.
