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The Age of Survival Migration
“”Survival migration” is not a reality show, but an accurate description of human mobility fuelled by desperation and fear… More than 52,000 children —mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador— were detained when they crossed the border without their parents in the last eight months, says the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). IPS
Migration- Moving away from the effects of climate change may be the smart thing.
“There’s a small thread of anti-immigration green politics, and environmental rhetoric gets used by anti-immigration groups (even climate sceptic ones) but the problem is usually larger than that. More broadly, the issue of immigration is a good example of how climate change can intersect with other political controversies. Climate change aggravates already heated immigration rhetoric; likewise, immigration can disrupt climate discussion.” Road to Paris
Opportunity Costs: Evidence Suggests Variability, Not Scarcity, Primary Driver of Water Conflict
“Water’s critical role in the survival of human life, combined with imminent changes in its relative abundance, has understandably generated concern that it will be a cause of future conflict… But contrary to popular belief, a new study by Colleen Devlin and I finds that water variability, rather than scarcity, may be the biggest climatic driver of interstate conflict.” New Security Beat
Moving up and moving on: Migration, climate change and community resilience
“Titi wants better for his family. At the age of 13 he moved from an outer island to South Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, to accompany his older sister who had found employment with the Government… Already in a difficult situation due to a lack of economic opportunities, his family also feels the pressures of climate change as rising water levels reclaim and diminish useable space on the island.” UN ESCAP
Understanding the Islanders: Climate migration in context
“The populations of small tropical islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Over the past decade, a number of media outlets and organizations have presented various figures showing that rising sea levels or changing weather conditions will force millions of people in low-lying areas and small island states to migrate. Research Associate Himani Upadhyay of The Energy and Resources Institute in India is sceptical of such calculations. “There are so many figures circulating which speculate [on] the number of future climate refugees, without giving due attention to understanding the term climate refugee,” says Upadhyay.” Acclimatise
Mobility, Climate Change and Development in Pacific Small Island Developing States
In the increasing global discourse on the complex nexus between migration, climate change and development, Pacific Island countries occupy a distinct and important position… In the global discussion on climate change, the Pacific region has been central. Several countries are identified as being among the most vulnerable places in the world. This is especially critical with rising sea levels: atolls and small island countries which will be more exposed to storms, flooding of low-lying areas, and reductions in the quality and quantity of fresh groundwater. Moreover, increased incidence of droughts and greater tropical cyclone devastation are also significant. IOM
Workshop: Social inequality and social justice in environmentally-induced relocation
The workshop will bring together experts and young scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds, as well as practitioners to provide a platform for dialogue. Through the lens of the crucial concepts of social inequality and social justice, it will inquire into approaches that enhance the human agency of those affected by relocation policies in the context of climate (adaptation and mitigation) measures. Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development
Alex Randall coordinates the UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition. He is author several reports on migration and climate change. He writes regularly on migration, displacement and climate change for a number of outlets.
