Environmental change poses risks to societies, including disrupting social and economic systems such as migration. At the same time, migration is an effective adaptation to environmental and other risks. We review novel science on interactions between migration, environmental risks and climate change. We highlight emergent findings, including how dominant flows of rural to urban migration mean that populations are exposed to new risks within destination areas and the requirement for urban sustainability. We highlight the issue of lack of mobility as a major issue limiting the effectiveness of migration as an adaptation strategy and leading to potentially trapped populations. The paper presents scenarios of future migration that show both displacement and trapped populations over the incoming decades. Papers in the special issue bring new insights from demography, human geography, political science and environmental science to this emerging field.
Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Amory Building, Rennes Drive, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK;Walker Institute, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK;SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, UK;Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Queen Elizabeth House, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB, UK;Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, Elmfield, Northumberland Road, Sheffield, S10 2TU, UK;School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
Recommended Citation:
W Neil Adger,Nigel W Arnell,Richard Black,et al. Focus on environmental risks and migration: causes and consequences[J]. Environmental Research Letters,2015-01-01,10(6)