Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Climate Change and Human Migration as Adaptation: Conceptual and Practical Challenges and Opportunities

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Climate Action

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Definition

Climate change-related human migration is an area of growing interest and policy concern. Although climate change is not easily isolated as the predominant cause of human movement, it is increasingly impossible to dismiss its role as a key contributing migration push factor. Moreover, there is agreement among experts that its contribution to migration, relative to other causes, will increase significantly as the effects of climate change impacts are progressively borne out in the future. This makes anticipatory migration-as-adaptation an important emergent priority (Brown 2007, 2008; Laczko and Aghazarm 2009; Hugo 2011; Luetz 2017; Ahmed 2018; Jha et al. 2018; Luetz and Havea 2018; Salerno 2018).

Synonyms

Climate change-induced mobility; Climate migrants; Climate refugees; Climate-related human displacement; Environmentally displaced people; Migration-as-adaptation

Preamble

This chapter should be read in conjunction with the chapter entitled “Climate Refugees: Why Measuring...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • ADB – Asian Development Bank (2009) Climate change and migration in Asia and the Pacific. Executive summary. University of Adelaide, Flinders University, The University of Waikato, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. http://www.preventionweb.net/files/11673_ClimateChangeMigration.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • ADB – Asian Development Bank (2012) Addressing climate change and migration in Asia and the Pacific: final report. Asian Development Bank, Metro Manila. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/29662/addressing-climate-change-migration.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Ahmed B (2018) Who takes responsibility for the climate refugees? Int J Clim Change Strategies Manage 10(1):5–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-10-2016-0149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer S (2010) “Climate refugees” beyond Copenhagen. Legal concept, political implications, normative considerations. Analysis. Diakonisches Werk der EKD e.V. Brot für die Welt, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettini G (2012) Climate barbarians at the gate? A critique of apocalyptic narratives on ‘climate refugees’. Geoforum 45:63–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betts A (2010) Survival migration: a new protection framework. Glob Gov 16(3):361–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biermann F, Boas I (2007) Preparing for a warmer world. Towards a global governance system to protect climate refugees. Global governance working paper no. 33, The Global Governance Project, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Biermann F, Boas I (2008) Protecting climate refugees—the case for a global protocol. Environment 50(6):8–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Biermann F, Boas I (2010) Preparing for a warmer world: towards a global governance system to protect climate refugees. Global Environ Polit 10(1):60–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black R (2001) Environmental refugees: myth or reality? New issues in refugee research. Working paper 34, University of Sussex, Brighton. http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ff57e562.html. Accessed 22 Oct 2018

  • Breisinger C, Zhu T, Al Riffai P, Nelson G, Robertson R, Funes J, Verner D (2013) Economic impacts of climate change in Syria. Clim Chang Econ 4(1):1–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronen R (2010) Forced migration of Alaskan indigenous communities due to climate change. In: Afifi T, Jäger J (eds) Environment, forced migration and social vulnerability. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown O (2007) Climate change and forced migration: observations, projections and implications. Thematic paper for the Human Development report 2007/2008, Geneva. http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2008/climate_forced_migration.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Brown O (2008) Migration and climate change. Paper prepared for IOM 31. IOM migration research series. International Organization for Migration, IOM, Geneva. https://www.iom.cz/files/Migration_and_Climate_Change_-_IOM_Migration_Research_Series_No_31.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Brown LR (2011) World on the edge: how to prevent environmental and economic collapse. Earth Policy Institute. W. W. Norton, New York/London

    Google Scholar 

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2005a) Immigration could ease climate change impacts. A modest proposal to allow the big gas-emitters to take their share of responsibility. Nature 434:435

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2005b, May 9) Before the flood. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/opinion/09byravan.html. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2006) Providing new homes for climate change exiles. Clim Pol 6:247–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2008, Mar 1) The social impacts of climate change in South Asia. Immigration could ease climate change impacts. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1129346. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2009) Warming up to immigrants: an option for the U.S. in climate policy. Econ Polit Wkly XLIV(45):19–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Byravan S, Rajan SC (2010) The ethical implications of sea-level rise due to climate change. Ethics Int Aff 24(3):239–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castles S (2010) Afterword: What now? Climate-induced displacement after copenhagen. In: McAdam, J [ed.] Climate Change and Displacement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Hart Publishing, Oxford, pp 239–246

    Google Scholar 

  • CCEMA – Climate Change, Environment and Migration Alliance (2010, Dec) Climate change, environment and migration: frequently asked questions. http://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/activities/env_degradation/CCEMA_top_10FAQs.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Chambers R (1997) Whose reality counts? Putting the last first. Intermediate Technology Publications, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Charlton J (2000) Nothing about us without us. Disability oppression and empowerment. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Cournil C (2011) The protection of “environmental refugees” in international law. In: Piguet E, Pécoud A, de Guchteneire P (eds) Migration and climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 359–386

    Google Scholar 

  • Docherty B, Giannini T (2009) Confronting a rising tide: a proposal for a convention on climate change refugees. Harv Environ Law Rev 33(2):349–403

    Google Scholar 

  • Dun O, Gemenne F (2008) Defining environmental migration: there is currently no consensus on definitions in this field of study. The resulting variety of terms is not just confusing but unhelpful. Forced Migr Rev 31:10–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupont A, Pearman G (2006) Heating up the planet: climate change and security. Lowy Institute for International Policy, Double Bay

    Google Scholar 

  • EC – European Commission (2019) Goal 13: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. https://ec.europa.eu/sustainable-development/goal13_en. Accessed 8 Jan 2019

  • Ehrlich PR, Ehrlich AH (2013) Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided? Proc R Soc B 280(1754):20122845

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EJF – Environmental Justice Foundation (2012) No place like home: securing recognition, protection and assistance for climate refugees. https://ejfoundation.org/resources/downloads/NPLH_briefing.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • El-Hinnawi E (1985) Environmental refugees. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • EMP – Environmental Migration Portal (n.d.) Human Mobility in the UNFCCC. https://environmentalmigration.iom.int/human-mobility-unfccc. Accessed 6 Mar 2019

  • GCM – Global Compact for Migration (2018, July 13) Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180713_agreed_outcome_global_compact_for_migration.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • GCR – Global Compact on Refugees (2018, June 26) The global compact on refugees. Final draft. https://www.unhcr.org/5b3295167.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • Gibb C, Ford J (2012) Should the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change recognize climate migrants? Environ Res Lett 7(4):045601. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045601

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hack JH (2015) Hack erklärt Leopold-Hoesch-Museum zum Klimaflüchtlingslager. http://hermann-josef-hack.de/cms/?p=312. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Hansen J (2008, June 23) Global warming twenty years later: tipping points near. Briefing before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, U.S. House of Representatives. National Press Club on June 23. http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2008/TwentyYearsLater_20080623.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Hugo G (2011) Future demographic change and its interactions with migration and climate change. Glob Environ Chang 21:S21–S33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IOM – International Organization for Migration (2010) Disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and environmental migration: a policy perspective. http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/DDR_CCA_report.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • IOM – International Organization for Migration (2011) Glossary on migration, 2nd edn. International Migration Law No. 25. IOM, Geneva. https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/iml25_1.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • IOM – International Organization for Migration (2018) Migration, climate change and the environment: definitional issues. https://www.iom.int/definitional-issues. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2012) Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation. In: Field CB, Barros V, Stocker TF, Qin D, Dokken DJ, Ebi KL, Mastrandrea MD, Mach KJ, Plattner G-K, Allen SK, Tignor M, Midgley PM (eds) A special report of Working Groups I and II of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jha CK, Gupta V, Chattopadhyay U, Sreeraman BA (2018) Migration as adaptation strategy to cope with climate change: a study of farmers’ migration in rural India. Int J Clim Change Strategies Manage 10(1):121–141. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kälin W (2010) Conceptualising climate-induced displacement. In: McAdam J (ed) Climate change and displacement: multidisciplinary perspectives. Hart Publishing, Oxford, pp 81–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolmannskog V (2009) Climate changed: people displaced—a thematic report from the Norwegian Refugee Council. Norwegian Refugee Council. https://www.preventionweb.net/files/12548_img.pdf. Accessed 22 Oct 2018

  • Laczko F, Aghazarm, C (eds) (2009) Migration, environment and climate change: assessing the evidence. International Organization for Migration, Geneva. http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/migration_and_environment.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Lam A (2012, Aug 18) The rising tide: environmental refugees. News analysis. New America Media. http://truth-out.org/news/item/10969-the-rising-tide-environmental-refugees. Accessed 20 Aug 2012

  • Lawton C (2009, Dec 17) What about climate refugees? Efforts to help the displaced bog down in Copenhagen. Spiegel Online. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,667256,00.html. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Levy BS, Sidel VW, Patz JA (2017) Climate change and collective violence. Annu Rev Public Health 38:241–257. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez A (2007) The protection of environmentally-displaced persons in international law. Environ Law 37(2):365–409

    Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM (2008) Planet prepare: preparing coastal communities in Asia for future catastrophes. Asia Pacific Disaster Report. World Vision International, Bangkok. http://luetz.com/docs/planet-prepare.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Luetz JM (2013) Climate migration: preparedness informed policy opportunities identified during field research in Bolivia, Bangladesh and Maldives. Ph.D. dissertation, University of New South Wales, Sydney. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/52944. Accessed 31 May, 2016

  • Luetz JM (2017) Climate change and migration in the Maldives: some lessons for policy makers. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Climate change adaptation in pacific countries: fostering resilience and improving the quality of life. Springer, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50094-2_3

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM (2018) Climate change and migration in Bangladesh: empirically derived lessons and opportunities for policy makers and practitioners. In: Leal Filho W, Nalau J (eds) Limits to climate change adaptation, Climate change management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64599-5_5

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Havea PH (2018) “We’re not refugees, we’ll stay here until we die!”—climate change adaptation and migration experiences gathered from the Tulun and Nissan Atolls of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies for coastal communities, Climate change management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70703-7_1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Sultana N (2019) Disaster risk reduction begins at school: research in Bangladesh highlights education as a key success factor for building disaster ready and resilient communities – a manifesto for mainstreaming disaster risk education. In: Leal Filho W, Lackner BC, McGhie H (eds) Addressing the challenges in communicating climate change across various audiences, Climate change management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98294-6_37

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Walid M (2019) Social responsibility versus sustainable development in United Nations Policy Documents: a meta-analytical review of key terms in Human Development Reports. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Social responsibility and sustainability – how businesses and organizations can operate in a sustainable and socially responsible way, World sustainability series. Springer Nature, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03562-4_16

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Buxton G, Bangert K (2018) Christian theological, hermeneutical and eschatological perspectives on environmental sustainability and creation care—the role of holistic education. In: Luetz JM, Dowden T, Norsworthy B (eds) Reimagining Christian education—cultivating transformative approaches. Springer Nature, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0851-2_4

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Bergsma C, Hills K (2019) The poor just might be the educators we need for global sustainability—a manifesto for consulting the unconsulted. In: Leal Filho W, Consorte McCrea A (eds) Sustainability and the humanities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95336-6_7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • MacFarquhar N (2009, May 28) Refugees join list of climate-change issues. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/29refugees.html. Accessed 31 May 2009

  • McAdam J (ed) (2010) Climate change and displacement: multidisciplinary perspectives. Hart Publishing, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • McAdam J (2011) Swimming against the tide: why a climate change displacement treaty is not the answer. Int J Refugee Law 23(1):2–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdam J (2012) Climate change, forced migration, and international law. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara KE, Gibson C (2009) “We do not want to leave our land”: Pacific ambassadors at the United Nations resist the category of “climate refugees”. Geoforum 40(3):475–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N (1993) Environmental refugees in a globally warmed world. Bioscience 43(11):752–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N (1996, Oct) Environmentally-induced displacements: the state of the art. In: UN High Commissioner for Refugees, environmentally-induced population displacements and environmental impacts resulting from mass migrations. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland, 21–24 Apr 1996. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4a54bbd6d.html. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Myers N (2002, April 29) Environmental refugees: a growing phenomenon of the 21st century. Philos Tran R Soc Lond B 357(1420):609–613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N (2005) 13th OSCE economic forum, Prague, 23–27 May 2005, Session III—environment and migration (Doc. # EF.NGO/4/05—22 May 2005)

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Kent J (1995) Environmental exodus: an emergent crisis in the global arena. Climate Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Nansen Initiative (2015) Agenda for the protection of cross-border displaced persons in the context of disasters and climate change, vol 1. The Nansen Initiative, Geneva. https://nanseninitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/PROTECTION-AGENDA-VOLUME-1.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • Nash M (2009) Climate refugees: a documentary film about the human face of climate change. http://www.climaterefugees.com. Accessed 22 Oct 2018

  • Nelson W, Luetz JM (2019) What can we learn from Pope Francis about change management for environmental sustainability? A case study on success factors for leading change in change-resistant institutional environments. In: Leal FW, Consorte MCA (eds) Sustainability and the humanities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95336-6_29

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Popovski V (2011, Dec 1) Climate change victims. United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo. http://unu.edu/publications/articles/climate-change-victims.html. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Popovski V, Mundy KG (2012) Defining climate-change victims. Sustain Sci J 7(1):5–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reeves H, Jouzel J (2010) Climate refugees. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaud F, Bogardi JJ, Dun O, Warner K (2007) Control, adapt or flee—how to face environmental migration? InterSecTions 5/2007. United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Bonn

    Google Scholar 

  • Salerno F (2018) Guest editorial. Int J Clim Change Strategies Manage 10(1):2–4. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-08-2017-0165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidle N (2009, May 10) Wanted: a new home for my country. Global warming may drown the Maldives, and the island nation’s president is considering relocating the entire population. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/magazine/10MALDIVES-t.html. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Sercombe B, Albanese A (2006) Our drowning neighbours: Labour’s policy discussion paper on climate change in the Pacific. http://www.bobsercombe.id.au/uploads/OurDrowningNeighbours.pdf. Accessed 30 May 2009, http://anthonyalbanese.com.au/labor-calls-for-international-coalition-to-accept-climate-change-refugees. Accessed 21 Oct 2018

  • Shamsuddoha MD, Chowdhury RK (2010) Climate change migrants. Tiempo: Bull Clim Dev 74:3–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqui T, Bhuiyan M, Sikder M, Islam M (2014) Adaptation strategies of poor urban migrants in the context of climate change: a case study of informal settlements in Natore, Sirjaganj and Rajshahi. Working paper series No. 46. Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), Dhaka

    Google Scholar 

  • Stapleton SO, Nadin R, Watson C, Kellett J (2017, Nov) Climate change, migration and displacement: the need for a risk-informed and coherent approach. Report. Overseas Development Institute (ODI)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), London/New York. https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/11874.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2018

  • Stavropoulou M (2008) Drowned in definitions? Forced Migr Rev 31:11–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Trent S (2009, Sept 13) Protecting climate change refugees: communities hardest hit by climate change are also the poorest. Their right to compensation and protection needs to be made law. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/13/climate-change-refugees-law. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • UN – United Nations (2018a) Refugees and migrants: global compact for migration. https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/migration-compact. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • UN – United Nations (2018b) Refugees and migrants: global compact on refugees. https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/refugees-compact. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • UN – United Nations (2019) Sustainable development goals—goal 13: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change-2/. Accessed 8 Jan 2019

  • UNCCD – United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (n.d.) About the convention. https://www.unccd.int/convention/about-convention. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2008, Oct 31) Climate change, migration and displacement: who will be affected? Working paper submitted by the informal group on migration/displacement and climate change of the IASC. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2008/smsn/igo/022.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2015) Draft Decision CP.21 on Agenda item 4(b): adoption of the Paris Agreement. Proposal by the President. UNFCCC, Bonn. https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1951) Convention and protocol relating to the status of refugees. Author, Geneva. http://www.unhcr.org/3b66c2aa10. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1996, Oct) Environmentally-induced population displacements and environmental impacts resulting from mass migrations. http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4a54bbd6d.html. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2017) Tool box: planning relocations to protect people from disasters and environmental change. UNHCR, Geneva. [Co-developed by Georgetown University, UNHCR, IOM, the World Bank and UN University]. https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/596f15774.pdf Accessed 08 Jan 2019

  • UNISDR – United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2011) Global assessment report on disaster risk reduction. Geneva, Switzerland United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Development Programme (UNISDR-UNDP 2012) Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Pacific: an institutional and policy analysis. UNISDR, UNDP, Suva

    Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015, Mar 18) Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. Third UN world conference on disaster risk reduction, Sendai, Japan. https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/43291. Accessed 18 Oct 2018

  • UN-OCHA – United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2009) Monitoring disaster displacement in the context of climate change: findings of a study by UN-OCHA and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). http://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/200909-monitoring-disaster-displacement-thematic-en.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • UNTC – United Nations Treaty Series (2004) International convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families. New York, 18 December 1990. vol 2220. Doc. A/RES/45/158. http://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/UNTS/Volume%202220/v2220.pdf. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Vidal J (2009, Nov 3) Global warming could create 150 million ‘climate refugees’ by 2050. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/03/global-warming-climate-refugees. Accessed 20 Oct 2018

  • Warner K, Ehrhart C, de Sherbinin A, Adamo S, Chai-Onn T (2009) In search of shelter—mapping the effects of climate change on human migration and displacement. Policy paper prepared for the 2009 climate negotiations. United Nations University, CARE, and CIESIN-Columbia University and in close collaboration with the European Commission “Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios Project”, the UNHCR and the World Bank, Bonn

    Google Scholar 

  • WBGU – German Advisory Council on Global Change (2006) The future oceans—warming up, rising high, turning sour. Special report. WBGU, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei D (2011) Receding maritime zones, uninhabitable states and climate exiles: how international law must adapt to climate change. Environ Law Manage 23(2):83–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendle J (2016) Syria’s climate refugees. Sci Am 314(3):50–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westing AH (1992) Environmental refugees: a growing category of displaced persons. Environ Conserv 19(3):201–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood WB (2001) Ecomigration: linkages between environmental change and migration. In: Zolberg AR, Benda P (eds) Global migrants, global refugees. Berghahn Books, New York/Oxford, pp 42–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Zetter R (2007) More labels, fewer refugees: remaking the refugee label in an era of globalization. J Refug Stud 20(2):172–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zetter R (2017) Why they are not refugees – climate change, environmental degradation and population displacement. Siirtolaisuus-Migr Q 1(2017):23–28

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Grateful acknowledgment for essential support is made to the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the development organization World Vision International (WVI).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CHC Higher Education, Brisbane, Brisbane/Carindale, QLD, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz

  2. University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz & John Merson

Authors
  1. Johannes M. Luetz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John Merson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johannes M. Luetz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  5. Centre for Work Related Studies, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Luetz, J.M., Merson, J. (2019). Climate Change and Human Migration as Adaptation: Conceptual and Practical Challenges and Opportunities. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Climate Action. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71063-1_46-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71063-1_46-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71063-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71063-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation