Migration has accelerated at the nexus of global warming and geopolitical unrest in vulnerable regions, challenging the resilience of societies. Forced displacements in the world have increased significantly in the recent decade, and an estimated 22.5 million people have left their homes due to climate change since 2008. Most of this migration has remained internal and regional, but who will move, where and in what numbers in future is still debated. How the relationship between climate change and migration is viewed and described by influential policy making bodies has consequences for what kind of actions that are proposed to deal with the phenomenon and thereby also for the lives of those who are most affected by the negative effects of climate change globally. Is migration considered a problem or a solution, and for whom? Focusing on years during which forced displacement increased significantly, we explore perspectives on climate induced migration in UN and EU official policy documents. The results show that both actors consider climate change as potentially leading to increased cross-border migration. UN perspectives tend to be human security-oriented while the EU perspectives tend to focus on state security. Response measures tend to focus on support to climate adaptation.
Butros, D; Gyberg, VB; Kaijser, A
Solidarity Versus Security: Exploring Perspectives on Climate Induced Migration in UN and EU Policy
Environmental Communication-A Journal Of Nature And Culture