Abstract
As the environmental consequences of climate change continue to expand across international boundaries, many nations in the industrialized and developing world are struggling to find ways to cope with the onslaught of adverse social effects caused by this unprecedented phenomenon. Research spearheaded by environmental organizations such as the United Nations and other government-backed climate monitoring agencies suggests that the ecological disruptions caused by the dramatic shift in global weather patterns is one of the primary factors driving the escalation of mass migration and human population displacement in many parts of the civilized world. This chapter will examine the social, economic, and political issues associated with climate-induced migration in the United States and abroad. It will analyze how this phenomenon influences the development of climate policy capable of assisting vulnerable nations worldwide to implement strategic measures that will enable them to resolve the complex national security and border immigration issues associated with the climate crisis.
TopBasic Facts About Climate Migration
Throughout humanity's history, environmental factors have played a critical role in influencing human migration and displacement patterns worldwide. Scientists analyzing the interconnection between climate change, migration, and displacement have noted that the professional literature on the environment utilizes different terminology interchangeably to describe the strength of the association between the mass movement of human populations within and across international borders and a host of environment-related factors (Bustos et al., 2021). According to a definition cited in a recent White House report issued by the Biden Harris administration in October 2021, climate-induced migration is the permanent or temporary displacement of human populations across international borders in regional locations impacted by the adverse social conditions precipitated by climate change. Unlike planned relocation, which usually involves a cooperative agreement between residents in global communities and government officials occurring in an atmosphere of mutual consent that is voluntary, in contrast, climate-induced migration generally occurs under less favorable environmental and social conditions linked to involuntary population displacement (White House report, 2021).
In recent decades, the results of scientific inquiry into the emerging secondary effects of ecological disruption have taken center stage on the legislative agenda of political officials in many nations of the global community currently experiencing the most severe social and political fallout of climate vulnerability. Results of a host of environmental studies documented in the scientific literature on climate change have sought to broaden understanding of the adverse effects of this expanding global phenomenon, whose consequential impact on human populations shows no indication of slowing down in the near future. A landmark study by researchers at the Institute on the Environment University of Minnesota published in the Journal of Sustainability in 2017 draws a strong connection between human migratory behavior and the degree of population vulnerability to the secondary effects of climate change. The research examines the link between climate vulnerability and international patterns of global migration in 179 countries. To make definitive determinations about the degree of correlation between these two phenomena, the investigators utilized climate vulnerability scores and national forced migration rates to measure country-specific differences over time. Results indicated that forced migration is an adaptive social response to climate variability's disruptive impact. Data analysis suggests that as the consequential effects of climate change continue to worsen globally, increasing the destructive power of cyclonic storms and magnum force hurricanes that destroy property, disrupt essential services, and cause large scale human displacement, the mass movement of asylum-seeking refugees across international borders will become a transitional phenomenon that is increasingly more commonplace. Analysis of the data revealed that differences in climate vulnerability scores are essential determinants of the degree of impact the rising flow of cross-border migrants will have on a spectrum of nations. Findings indicated that countries with the highest climate vulnerability scores had the lowest flow of asylum-seeking refugees. In contrast, those with the lowest climate vulnerability scores had the most increased flow of refugees seeking asylum.
Based on these findings, the researchers posit that global communities that adopt an adaptive approach to responding to climate change's impact will reap the most favorable outcomes of forced migration. The researchers argue that this type of migratory behavior stimulates a decrease in population vulnerability to environmental change's most significant risk factors. They conjecture that even though the harmful effects of climate change vary from country to country, those with the most considerable susceptibility are usually the ones that require the highest degree of targeted intervention to avoid humanitarian crises that exacerbate the burden of existing social and economic inequalities such as food insecurity, homelessness, and acute poverty all of which represent social concerns that policymakers in the most affected nations have yet to find sustainable solutions (Grecequet et al., 2017).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Food Insecurity: The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a household's inability to provide enough food to keep each member healthy and active. The term has also been applied to low-income households where the primary source of nutrition is processed calorie-dense pre-packaged food with inadequate nutritional value (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2022 AU16: The in-text citation "Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2022" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
National Security: National security refers to the ability of the government to utilize military force to protect its citizen's safety, economic welfare, and social institutions from the threat of attack by foreign or domestic invaders (Thoughtco.com, 2021).
Geopolitics: The term geopolitics refers to the study of how geographic, economic, and social factors influence political environments that contribute to the onset of conflict in climate-vulnerable nations around the world (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2022 AU17: The in-text citation "Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2022" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Humanitarian Crisis: The term humanitarian crisis refers to a singular or series of events that threaten to disrupt the health, safety, and overall well-being of a large group of people or an entire community (Complex Humanitarian Emergency Program online, 2013).
Forced Migration: The term forced migration refers to the physical removal of a population of individuals and families from their native country because of deteriorating social, economic, and political conditions resulting from environmental pressures that cause food insecurity, threats of violence, and geopolitical conflict (Definitions.net, 2022).
Climate Refugee: The term climate refugee refers to an individual or group of individuals forced to migrate both within their country of origin or externally because environmental conditions caused by climate change make it impossible for them to continue living and working there (Cambridge English Dictionary online, 2022).
Water Scarcity: Water scarcity refers to the inability of fresh water supplies to meet the resource demands of individuals and families living in a specific regional location of the developing world (Definitions.net, 2022).