ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the emergence and problems of current dominant policy narratives which naturalize “climate migration.” By this we mean the portrayal of migration from (largely) rural to urban areas as a direct effect of increased flood risk induced by climate change. Instead, we argue that migration is one of the possible—potentially positive—outcomes resulting from the complex interactions and feedbacks between human and water systems, in which the role of local governance structures, policy responses, and socio-economic factors are key mediators. To denaturalize and re-politicize climate migration processes, we ground our discussion in the ongoing events in Bangladesh. We examine the current narratives on migration and climate change at the international level to analyze what general problem framings circulate and compare this to the numerous migration-focused research projects in the Bangladesh.