Etienne Piguet

From “Primitive Migration” to “Climate Refugees”: The Curious Fate of the Natural Environment in Migration Studies

Beginning with Friedrich Ratzel, the founders of migration studies all mentioned the natural environment as an important determinant of human mobility. As migration theories grew in coherence and complexity over the course of the twentieth century, however, environmental considerations generally disappeared from explanations of displacement. They would reappear in a largely unconnected discourse stressing the threat of future waves of “environmental migrants” in the end-of-the-century context of climate change anxiety. This alarmist stance was heavily criticized by several migration scholars during the same period of time as a corpus of empirical studies emerged that reconsidered the possible impact of the environment on migration. The purpose of this article is to analyze the intellectual history of this swing of the pendulum. The first part examines the rationale for the temporary disappearance of the environment from migration studies, as this major shift has not yet been fully or systematically studied. The second part considers the renewal of interest in environmental migration. Finally, the last part argues that although a solid body of new research documents the contemporary migration–environment nexus, additional work is needed to reembed the environment more firmly within migration theories, taking into account the increased focus on the nature–society nexus, which has recently expanded in geography.

People on the Move in a Changing Climate

A large body of empirical studies and theoretical models have developed over the last years with a view at understanding how environmental factors impact human mobility, in particular in the context of climate change. People on the Move in a Changing Climate provides a timely synthesis of this literature, with contributions authored by some of the leading authorities in the field. The volume appears to be primarily intended for policymakers, but it may also constitute a useful assessment of the current knowledge, gaps, and possible future developments for interested researchers and advanced students. The editors, Etienne Piguet and Frank Laczko, aim to “review and compare the existing evidence base in each major region of the world in order to inform policy responses, especially at the regional level” (p.3). Thus, the book constitutes a descriptive and informative publication, not a theoretical one. Its eight central chapters focus on Asia, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, Latin American and the Caribbean, Oceania, and the Himalaya. They are preceded by an introduction of the editors, and followed by a policy-oriented conclusion. Although five chapters are adapted from previous reports or publications, and despite significant differences of perspectives and a few blind spots (the Maldives are not discussed in any contribution), the volume generally provides a rather comprehensive overview of the current knowledge. For sure, it is a challenge for contributors to identify distinct features in the environment-migration nexus in regions as broad and diverse as, for instance, “Asia,” where – Graeme Hugo and Douglas Bardsley note in their contribution – 60.5 percent of the world’s population live (p.23). By contrast, John Campbell and Richard Bedford’s chapter on Oceania focuses on the “10 million living in the 22 Pacific Island nations and territories” (p. 177). Several contributions distinguish between narrower sub-regions. One may thus differentiate between what is happening in East Asia, Southeast

Migration and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean

This literature overview aims to review the relationship between climate change and migration, with a special focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. After a brief history of the debate raised by the relationship between the environment and migration, we identify the main environmental consequences of climate change. In particular, we address the aspects related to tropical storms and hurricanes, floods, droughts, rising sea levels, and, melting glaciers. The paper then proceeds mainly by historical analogy: a summary of the past consequences for migration of these environmental degradations allows us to identify the most important migration issues related to climate change.

Climate and Migration: A Synthesis

The concern of the international community about the consequences for migration of climate change has been growing since the publication in 1990 of the first UN intergovernmental report on climate change stating ‘The gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration as millions will be displaced’ (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-1), 1990: 20).

Regional Perspectives on Migration, the Environment and Climate Change

The perception that large numbers of people may be forced to migrate due to the effects of climate change has fuelled a renewed interest in the subject of migration and the environment. Recent estimates suggesting that between 200 million and 1 billion people could be displaced by climate change over the next 40 years have alarmed policymakers. Even though such estimates have been dismissed as, at best, “guesswork” by many experts (IPCC 2007; Foresight 2011), they have helped to focus policymakers’ attention on the linkages between migration and climate change. Concerns about the migration-related consequences of climate change have encouraged policymakers around the world to focus more on how environmental change will affect people’s lives and human security. The Chairman of the leading expert authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for example, has talked about the “human faces of climate change” (Piguet 2013). Unlike indicators of environmental health, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or changes in rainfall or temperature, migration reflects the human dimension of climate change.

Framing Labour Mobility Options in Small Island States Affected by Environmental Changes

It has been forecast that up to forty nation-states are at risk of disappearing due to rising sea levels related to climate warming. Such a situation would lead to a form of statelessness never experienced before in history and would raise serious concerns about migration as well as important legal questions. Although often mentioned in the media by NGOs and other international bodies, this issue has rarely been addressed by legal scholars or by social scientists specialized in migration studies. This chapter examines the available literature on the topic and presents basic geographic data to assess the validity of the danger. We then discuss the legal frameworks and policies that could be developed to mitigate the threat of climate change related statelessness, a concept that remains in need of clarification under both international law and human rights law. This chapter seeks to explore legal means to deal with populations displaced by the adverse impacts of climate change, that are consistent with a state’s existing international legal obligations. The ongoing debate about this challenge aims to identify normative measures to secure a legal status for forced migrants, who risk becoming stateless when their state disappears.