ABSTRACT

The last twenty years have seen a rapid increase in scholarly activity and publications dedicated to environmental migration and displacement, and the field has now reached a point in terms of profile, complexity, and sheer volume of reporting that a general review and assessment of existing knowledge and future research priorities is warranted. So far, such a product does not exist.

The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Displacement and Migration provides a state-of-the-science review of research on how environmental variability and change influence current and future global migration patterns and, in some instances, trigger large-scale population displacements. Drawing together contributions from leading researchers in the field, this compendium will become a go-to guide for established and newly interested scholars, for government and policymaking entities, and for students and their instructors. It explains theoretical, conceptual, and empirical developments that have been made in recent years; describes their origins and connections to broader topics including migration research, development studies, and international public policy and law; and highlights emerging areas where new and/or additional research and reflection are warranted.

The structure and the nature of the book allow the reader to quickly find a concise review relevant to conducting research or developing policy on particular topics, and to obtain a broad, reliable survey of what is presently known about the subject.

part I|160 pages

Existing knowledge, theories and methods

chapter 1|14 pages

Environmental migration research

Evolution and current state of the science

chapter 5|14 pages

Immobility

chapter 9|8 pages

Qualitative research techniques

It’s a case-studies world

chapter 12|10 pages

Environmental migrants, climate ‘refugees’ and sun-seeking expats

Capturing the larger context of migration in a changing climate through appropriate and effective behavioural research

part II|159 pages

Empirical evidence from regions

chapter 13|15 pages

Environmental change and migration

A review of West African case studies

chapter 14|10 pages

Burkina Faso

The adaptation-migration policy nexus in a drying climate

chapter 15|17 pages

Fleeing from arid lands

Pastoralism in the context of climate change

chapter 18|13 pages

Internal migration in Bangladesh

A comparative analysis of coastal, environmentally challenged, and other districts

chapter 19|19 pages

Environmental stressors and population mobility in China

Causes, approaches and consequences

chapter 20|13 pages

Environmental migration in Mexico

chapter 21|7 pages

Transnational approaches to remittances, risk reduction, and disaster relief

Evidence from post-Typhoon Haiyan experiences of Filipino immigrants in Canada

chapter 23|11 pages

A community-based model for resettlement

Lessons from coastal Louisiana

part III|115 pages

Legal and policy considerations

chapter 25|6 pages

Definitions and concepts

chapter 27|14 pages

Climate, migration and displacement

Exploring the politics of preventative action

chapter 28|14 pages

Environmental migration and international political security

Rhetoric, reality and questions

chapter 29|18 pages

Green grabbing-induced displacement

chapter 30|15 pages

Climate-induced community relocations

Institutional challenges and human rights protections

chapter 32|7 pages

Environmental change and human mobility

Perspectives from the World Bank

chapter 33|6 pages

Human mobility in the Anthropocene

Perspectives from UN Environment

chapter 34|5 pages

Platform on Disaster Displacement, follow-up to the Nansen Initiative

Addressing the protection needs of persons displaced across borders in the context of disasters and climate change

chapter 35|4 pages

A moment of opportunity to define the global governance of environmental migration

Perspectives from the International Organization for Migration

chapter 36|6 pages

Where do we go from here?

Reflections on the future of environmental migration and displacement research