ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the research on environmental migration in Brazil that is associated with deforestation in Legal Amazon and drought in the Northeast region of the country. The Brazilian Panel on Climate Change has identified Legal Amazon and the Northeast regions as being the most susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The Legal Amazon experiences frequent extreme events connected to weather changing patterns, such as flooding and droughts. The Northeast region, which has historically affected by drought, is today treated as a region of special hydrological concern by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and the National Water Agency. Recent research literature on migration in Brazil has tended to focus on demographic and economic aspects of migration rather than environmental causes, although environmental conditions are generally believed to have an important influence on migration in these two regions of the country. Research that studies the association between migration and environmental factors is critical for policy development in Brazil, in order to reduce vulnerability and the likelihood of distress migration among highly affected populations.
