Why Climate Disruptions Are Reshaping Mobility Strategy

With climate-related changes, businesses are re-evaluating how they operate. Economic losses and value-chain disruption are growing, while workforce displacement and increasing business travel risks are pressuring companies. This blog addresses these challenges and outlines key strategic and operational considerations for businesses going forward.

Climate‑Driven Economic Loss and Value Chain Pressure 

Economic loss due to climate-related disruptions is immense.

• • • In 2025, the world incurred $260 billion in global economic loss due to natural disasters – down on 2024’s $368 billion but still notable. Only around half of that loss was insured.  

• • • Climate hazards could cause $560 billion to $610 billion of yearly fixed-asset losses for listed companies by 2035, driven largely by extreme heat and flooding, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).  
    • Climate-related events are causing value chains disruptions. 

• • • • • • Farms washed away and extraction facilities, such as mines, oil wells and gas facilities damaged or temporarily shut down
          • Factory complexes disabled: the 2011 Thai floods required the Navanakorn industrial estate (250 factories with 200,000 employees) to be evacuated
          • Transport infrastructure: whether roads, railways, seaports or airports are crippled and logistics nodes (i.e. warehouses) inundated
    • Climate-related conditions are causing operational pressure, including:
      • • • Chronic heat undermines productivity
          • Water scarcity disrupts manufacturing hubs
          • Repeated “small” climate-related disruptions can increase overall operational cost

Global Economic Loss – 2025: Natural Disasters  

USD billion 

Data: AON. © Fragomen 2026. 

Workforce Displacement Trends and Operational Impact

Climate-related events, especially storms and floods, displace huge numbers of people each year. In 2024, storms alone caused over 25 million internal displacements worldwide, while flooding led to 18.5 million internal displacements.

Workforce displacement is a major consequence, as many affected employees face temporary or permanent job disruption. Between August 2023 and September 2024, almost 4.4 million Americans were displaced from their homes due to natural disasters. Just under half were displaced for less than a week while 7% were displaced for up to six months. One in 10 did not return home at all.

Internal Displacement due to Climate-Related Disaster – Global (2019-24) 

Displacements (million)* 

Data: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). © Fragomen 2026  

* The IDMC statistics measure the forced movement of a person within the borders of their country of habitual residence. The same person or people can be displaced several times over a given period. 

Other: drought, fire, earthquake, volcanic activity, landslides (and other land movement), extreme temperature, erosion, wave action, sea level rise and “mixed disasters”. 

From the perspective of workforce management, disaster displacement may also require evacuation efforts. Even if employees are not displaced, they may be unable to work at their office or work site. Superstorm Sandy in 2012, for instance, forced prolonged office closures and crippled New York’s business district.

 How Climate Events Affect Business Travel and Mobility Planning 

Business travel is also exposed to climate-related challenges, making trips more costly and strategically complex. Extreme weather events increase the likelihood of flight cancelations, delays and even temporary consular closures. Hurricane Melissa in 2025 forced the US consular post in Jamaica to temporarily limit operations to emergency services only, making it difficult for foreign nationals to obtain regular immigration assistance when needed. Additionally, processing speeds at consular posts may slow considerably in the period following an environmental event, further demanding businesses reassess their mobility schedules.

Preparing for Climate‑Related Mobility and Operational Challenges 

Given the cascading challenges posed by climate-related disasters, businesses face difficult strategic and operational questions.

Businesses must engage in future-looking risk assessments of their business operations, including resiliency strategies and the potential need to relocate worksites, with potential immigration implications. Considerations include the likelihood of disaster types and the resiliency of the business site. Such assessments must consider both current and future risk. After assessing risk factors, it may be clear that relocation is advisable. Depending on the new potential locations, businesses may then need to reassess their workforce mobility situation. New jurisdictions may present novel, even unexpected, immigration-policy challenges.

Conversely, new jurisdictions may also provide opportunities, strengthening the business case for pivoting operations. In short, any appraisal of potential new worksites needs to adequately assess immigration-policy related risk.

Operationally, establishing rigorous business continuity protocols – including with respect to mobility and displacement – is essential. Key considerations include staff location and their immigration status in case of evacuation, knowing potential exit routes, including possible repatriation services and the viability of remote work options.

Tools and Support to Strengthen Workforce Resilience 

How Fragomen Can Help 

Fragomen’s Magellan Series helps assess risk, plan exits and ensure workforce continuity: 

• • • Fragomen’s Immigration Risk & Stability Tracker (FIRST) can assist decision-making regarding where to move or retain talent 
    • The Strategic Intelligence Foresight Tool (SIFT), a scenario-building service which synthesizes intelligence, trends and future scenarios, can identify emerging risks and opportunities, turning long-term strategy into actionable insights 
    • The Workforce Resilience Audit (WRA) is a customized audit that reviews strengths and weaknesses regarding crisis readiness

Need to Know More?

For questions about climate impacts on workforce and mobility planning, please contact Partner, leading Fragomen Global Responsible Business Practices, Lisa Koenig at [email protected], Senior Associate Sarah Blackmore at [email protected], Senior Associate Sonya Berenfeld Cole at [email protected] and Lead Analyst Dominic Dietrich at [email protected]. 

This blog was published on March 13, 2026, and may be subject to change. To stay up to date on the latest immigration updates, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.