Fifteen Eighty Four

Each year, more than 20 million people on average are displaced by floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts, and that number will increase in coming decades as the impacts of climate change strengthen and the number of people living in locations exposed to hazards grows. How many more people will be on the move – voluntarily or involuntarily – for climate-related reasons in the future? That will depend upon complex, multifaceted interactions between natural and human systems, which we describe in our new book, “Migration and Displacement in a Changing Climate”.

In our book, we provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the many ways that climate influences human mobility in its various forms, including voluntary migration, involuntary displacement, and immobility. We synthesize the large and rapidly growing body of research on this subject, drawing on insights from the natural and social sciences. We also summarize current methodologies used to study climate-related migration; policies and policy mechanisms to address its implications; and emerging areas where more research is needed. To illustrate the various ways that migration and displacement may be affected by climate change, we draw on case studies and examples from around the world.

People move for a variety of cultural, economic, political, social, and other reasons. Sometimes climate factors into those reasons, oftentimes not; but if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow at current levels, so, too, will grow the influence of climate on why and where people move.  We wrote this book for students, scholars, and anyone else seeking to develop a stronger understanding of the interactions between climatic and non-climatic factors in migration decision making and outcomes – and this, in turn, can help us better support people on the move, plan for future population shifts, and anticipate how patterns of mobility may evolve. While our knowledge of climate-related migration and displacement has greatly expanded over the past decade, there is still so much more to learn. This field is constantly evolving and shifting, which is a reason why it is so interesting to study.

This book is being released at a time when migrants and refugees are increasingly being vilified by western governments that are going to increasing lengths to keep people out. We take a very different view. Our book begins with the following statement: “People are regularly on the move, it is a defining feature of our species.” We later explain that migration is in itself neither good or bad, it is simply something that people do. It is the conditions under which migration occurs that make it good or bad for migrants and for the sending and receiving communities. Going to extraordinary lengths to prevent migration typically doesn’t work; it simply pushes migrants into the grasp of organized criminals and risks causing greater physical and mental harm to migrants and their families left behind. In a rapidly changing climate and a world with more people on the move, we collectively need to rethink how we view migration and adjust our policies and practices accordingly.

The three of us began working on “Migration and Displacement in a Changing Climate” in the latter stages of pandemic lockdowns. It was a welcome distraction and a lot of fun. We each come to the subject with our own expertise, disciplines, and backgrounds, and learned a lot from one another in the process of writing it. We hope that our shared passion for the subject comes through on each page. Whether you are a researcher, policymaker, advocate, student, or simply reading it out of curiosity, we hope our book provides you with a greater appreciation of the many ways that climate change influences people on the move.

Title: Migration and Displacement in a Changing Climate

ISBN: 9781009449601

Authors: Kelsea Best, Kayly Ober and Robert A. McLeman