How Environmental Change Relates to the Development of Adaptation Strategies and Migration Aspirations

AbstractThe focus on perceived environmental changes and risks is a necessary precondition before people’s vulnerabilities and abilities to migrate can be taken into account (Adam 2005). This approach contrasts with previous research on environmental migration that has mainly focused on the vulnerabilities of people towards environmental changes. This vulnerability approach is, for instance, widely used in reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2014) and refers to the potential loss or harm one encounters or could encounter when facing environmental changes. This vulnerability is assumed to depend on the nature of the physical risks one could be exposed to and inherent sensitivity one has. The latter refers, for instance, to the type of economic activities of a community. For example, communities that rely heavily on agricultural activities are more sensitive to water scarcity and suffer more from drought, than other communities. It is within this framework that migration is often seen as a potential adaptation strategy to deal with environmental changes (Smit and Wandel 2006; Gemenne 2010). However, this framework hardly considers people’s own perceived vulnerabilities or risks or resilience towards environmental change. Hence, this vulnerability approach diminishes the agency of the actors involved and their active role in the development of migration aspirations and trajectories related to environmental changes and risks. Furthermore, as already stated by McLeman et al. (2016), the use of this framework of adaptation and the focus on the use of vulnerability may not encompass all drivers of environmental migration. This could certainly apply to the Moroccan context in which environmental changes mostly occur gradually and are to a lesser extent immediately visible to the human eye.

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Environmental Change and Migration in Morocco: What Has Been Done So Far?

IMISCOE Research Series - Migration and Environmental Change in Morocco ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-61390-7_3 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 35-59

Author(s):

Lore Van Praag ◽

Loubna Ou-Salah ◽

Elodie Hut ◽

Caroline Zickgraf

Keyword(s):

Environmental Change ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Interesting Case ◽

Environmental Migration ◽

Migration History ◽

History Of ◽

And Migration ◽

High Degree ◽

Unexpected Outcomes ◽

The Relationship

AbstractBefore we delve further into the relationship between migration and environmental change, it is important to gain more insight into the migration history of Moroccans going abroad and the specific environmental changes faced by people in Morocco. Therefore, in the first part of this chapter, we outline the history of Moroccan migration to Europe in general and to Belgium in particular. Morocco provides an interesting case of study with regard to environmental migration, as in the second half of the twentieth century, Morocco evolved into one of the world’s leading emigration countries. Moroccan migration is one of the unexpected outcomes in which colonial migration, labour migration, family reunification, and, most recently, undocumented migration combine. Hence, there is a high degree of internal differentiation and dynamics within the migrant population of Morocco (De Haas 2007).

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Perceptions and Explanations of Environmental Change in Morocco

IMISCOE Research Series - Migration and Environmental Change in Morocco ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-61390-7_5 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 85-104

Author(s):

Lore Van Praag ◽

Loubna Ou-Salah ◽

Elodie Hut ◽

Caroline Zickgraf

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Forced Migration ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Mena Region ◽

Temperature Changes ◽

Environmental Migration ◽

The People

AbstractAs demonstrated in the previous chapters, land in Morocco is mainly used for farming and pastoral activities. These activities are more vulnerable to the consequences of increased precipitation and drought due to climate change. Various modern and traditional adaptation strategies – among which migration to urban centres or abroad – have been used to deal with environmental changes. This suggests that a large share of inhabitants are in some way aware of the changes in their natural environment and already familiar with adaptation strategies (Schilling et al. 2012; Mertz et al. 2009). However, in most studies, researchers focusing on this topic do not relate this to people’s overall views on environmental change and the adaptation strategies employed by the actors involved. When they do, they hardly focus on people living in the MENA region (Nielsen and D’haen 2014); West-Africa (Mertz et al. 2010, 2012; Afifi 2011; De Longueville et al. 2020); DR Congo (Bele et al. 2014; Few et al. 2017); and India (Howe et al. 2014). The only exception is the study on Morocco by Nguyen and Wodon (2014); Wodon et al. 2014). Hence, it is unclear how these environmental changes are actually perceived and how they influence the ways people view and respond to them, and (actively) develop adaptation strategies to deal with such changes (cf. Chap. 10.1007/978-3-030-61390-7_6). This is especially important since perceptions of environmental changes and the risks associated with them vary across and within cultures (Vedwan 2006; Mertz et al. 2009, 2010; Leclerc et al. 2013). Furthermore, there is a perception bias with regard to the perceived environmental changes, as some types of changes, such as rainfall patterns, are more easily noted and compared to others, such as temperature changes (Howe et al. 2014; Few et al. 2017; De Longueville et al. 2020; Bele et al. 2014). Additionally, people mainly remark on changes when these apply to their livelihood activities (Bele et al. 2014; Howe et al. 2014; Wodon et al. 2014; De Longueville et al. 2020). In current research and policymaking, ongoing debates on environmental migration and displacement too frequently assume that everyone perceives environmental change in a similar fashion. This becomes problematic in debates on environmental migration or climate refugees when environmental changes are assumed to automatically result in some kind of (forced) migration, leaving little space for the views and agency of the people involved (Stern 2000; McLeman and Gemenne 2018; Khare and Khare 2006; Rigby 2016).

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Assessing the Vulnerability of Marine Fisheries in China: Towards an Inter-Provincial Perspective

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10114302 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 4302 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Qi Chen ◽

Weiteng Shen ◽

Bing Yu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Vocational Training ◽

Large Scale ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Marine Pollution ◽

Marine Fisheries ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Adaptation Measures

China’s marine fisheries are undergoing large-scale environmental changes associated with climate change, marine pollution, and overfishing. The assessment of marine fisheries vulnerability has become extremely necessary for fisheries management and sustainable development. However, studies on China’s marine fisheries vulnerability remains sparse. This study aimed to provide an analysis of the inter-provincial level vulnerability of China’s marine fisheries under multiple disturbances. The vulnerability measure was composed of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators specific to marine fisheries based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definitions. Results showed that Liaoning, Hebei, Fujian, and Hainan provinces appeared to be the most vulnerable; Shanghai appeared to be less vulnerable among China’s 11 coastal provinces; and the key sources of vulnerability differed considerably among coastal regions. The high vulnerability regions could be divided into two different patterns according to the combination of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, but they all had one thing in common: relatively low adaptive capacity. While some existing coercive measures to reduce dependence on fisheries were found to be helpful in China, the reality showed that appropriate adaptation measures such as improving fishermen’s education level and increasing vocational training may be helpful in enhancing the existing policy effectiveness.

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Farmers’ Perspective on Agriculture and Environmental Change in the Circumpolar North of Europe and America

Land ◽

10.3390/land8120190 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 190 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher Poeplau ◽

Julia Schroeder ◽

Ed Gregorich ◽

Irina Kurganova

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Online Survey ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Small Scale ◽

Local Market ◽

Food Transport ◽

Circumpolar North ◽

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Climate change may increase the importance of agriculture in the global Circumpolar North with potentially critical implications for pristine northern ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles. With this in mind, a global online survey was conducted to understand northern agriculture and farmers’ perspective on environmental change north of 60° N. In the obtained dataset with 67 valid answers, Alaska and the Canadian territories were dominated by small-scale vegetable, herbs, hay, and flower farms; the Atlantic Islands were dominated by sheep farms; and Fennoscandia was dominated by cereal farming. In Alaska and Canada, farmers had mostly immigrated with hardly any background in farming, while farmers in Fennoscandia and on the Atlantic Islands mostly continued family traditions. Accordingly, the average time since conversion from native land was 28 ± 28 and 25 ± 12 years in Alaska and Canada, respectively, but 301 ± 291 and 255 ± 155 years on the Atlantic Islands and in Fennoscandia, respectively, revealing that American northern agriculture is expanding. Climate change was observed by 84% of all farmers, of which 67% have already started adapting their farming practices, by introducing new varieties or altering timings. Fourteen farmers reported permafrost on their land, with 50% observing more shallow permafrost on uncultivated land than on cultivated land. Cultivation might thus accelerate permafrost thawing, potentially with associated consequences for biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gas emissions. About 87% of the surveyed farmers produced for the local market, reducing emissions of food transport. The dynamics of northern land-use change and agriculture with associated environmental changes should be closely monitored. The dataset is available for further investigations.

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DOES HARMFUL CLIMATE INCREASE OR DECREASE MIGRATION? EVIDENCE FROM RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN NIGERIA

Climate Change Economics ◽

10.1142/s2010007819500131 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (04) ◽

pp. 1950013

Author(s):

CRISTINA CATTANEO ◽

EMANUELE MASSETTI

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Marginal Effect ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Temperature Changes ◽

And Migration ◽

Migrant Households ◽

The Impact

This paper analyzes whether migration is an adaptation strategy that households employ to cope with climate in Nigeria. We estimate our model using the cross-sectional variation in climate and long-term migration decisions because we are interested in the average response to long-term climatic conditions. For households that operate farms, we find that the relationship between climate and migration is nonlinear. In particular, climates closer to ideal farming conditions are associated with a higher propensity to migrate, whereas in the least favorable climatic conditions, the propensity to migrate declines. The marginal effect of rainfall and temperature changes on migration varies by season. We estimate the impact of climate change on the number of migrant households in 2031–2060 and 2071–2100, ceteris paribus. With current population levels, climate change generates between 3.6 and 6.3 million additional migrants, most of them being internal. However, these estimates are not statistically significant.

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Human responses to hydroclimate fluctuations over the last 200 kyr in Ethiopia

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11488 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Frank Schäbitz ◽

Verena Foerster ◽

Asfawossen Asrat ◽

Andrew S. Cohen ◽

Melissa S. Chapot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Human Mobility ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Eastern Africa ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Ethiopian Rift ◽

Mobility Patterns

Humans have been adapting to more demanding habitats in the course of their evolutionary history. Nevertheless, environmental changes coupled with overpopulation naturally limit competition for resources. In order to find such limits, reconstructions of climate and population changes are increasingly used for the continent of our origin, Africa. However, continuous and high-resolution records of climate-human interactions are still scarce. Using a 280 m sediment core from Chew Bahir*, a wide tectonic basin in southern Ethiopia, we reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions during the development of Homo sapiens. The complete multiproxy record of the composite core covers the last ~600 ka , allowing tests of hypotheses about the influence of climate change on human evolution and technological innovation from the Late Acheulean to the Middle/Late Stone Age, and on dispersal within and out of Africa. Here we present results from the uppermost 100 meters of the Chew Bahir core, spanning the last 200 kiloyears (ka). The record shows two modes of environmental change that are associated with two types of human mobility. The first mode is a long-term trend towards a more arid climate, overlain by precession-driven wet-dry alternation. Through comparison with the archaeological record, humid episodes appear to have led to the opening of &#8216;green&#8217; networks between favourable habitats and thus to increased human mobility on a regional scale. The second mode of environmental change resembles millennial-scale Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events, which seem to coincide with enhanced vertical mobility from the Ethiopian rift to the highlands, especially in the time frame between ~65&#8211;21 ka BP. The coincidence of climate change and human mobility patterns help to define the limiting conditions for early Homo sapiens in eastern Africa.___________________* cored in the context of HSPDP (Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project) and CRC&#160;(Collaborative Research Centre) 806 &#8220;Our way to Europe&#8221;

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Should we turn the tent? Inuit women and climate change

Études/Inuit/Studies ◽

10.7202/045409ar ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 151-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Martha Dowsley ◽

Shari Gearheard ◽

Noor Johnson ◽

Jocelyn Inksetter

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Social Impact ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Social Changes ◽

Secondary Effects ◽

The Social ◽

Women’S Perceptions ◽

Inuit Knowledge ◽

Women's Role

Abstract Most of the climate change literature for Arctic Canada in the social sciences has focused on men’s knowledge and experiences. Drawing on research from Qikiqtarjuaq and Clyde River, Nunavut, we explore Inuit women’s perspectives on recent environmental changes, many of which are often attributed to climate change by Inuit or others. We divide issues resulting from environmental change into primary and secondary effects. Primary effects are changes in environmental features that affect, for example, hunting, fishing, and travelling. Secondary effects occur in the community as a result of environmental change. These include changes in the use and condition of country products like seal skins, and the psychological and social impact of environmental changes, such as going out on the land less often due to fear of dangerous conditions. We also offer a preliminary discussion on women’s role in responses to climate change, through their often dominant economic and political roles in their communities, the territory, and various wider global governance fora. Our research indicates that gender helps shape Inuit knowledge of environmental change, as well as social responses to perceptions of change. By examining women’s perceptions of environmental change, we draw attention to the social aspects and also highlight how women can contribute to adaptation, not only to physical changes but also to the resulting social changes.

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A Qualitative Study on How Perceptions of Environmental Changes are Linked to Migration in Morocco, Senegal, and DR Congo

Human Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10745-021-00278-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lore Van Praag ◽

Samuel Lietaer ◽

Caroline Michellier

Keyword(s):

Regional Differences ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Dr Congo ◽

Educational Levels ◽

Environmental Migration ◽

Gender Education ◽

Environmental Discourses ◽

The World ◽

Country Specific

AbstractEnvironmental migration is a growing concern of academics and policymakers, who foresee a rise in the number of such migrants. However, most prevailing academic and policy discourses ignore the variety of perceptions of environmental changes among people living in highly affected areas across the world. We examine the perceptions of environmental changes and how these are seen to be relevant to migration in Senegal, DR Congo, and Morocco. In total, we conducted 410 interviews with people living in two regions in each of these countries. Results indicate differences in the perception of environmental changes across regions, gender, education, and livelihoods. The economic activities of individuals determine exposure and sensitivity to environmental changes, while educational levels increase familiarity with prevailing environmental discourses and policies. Despite country-specific and regional differences across research sites, few people perceived environmental factors as directly related to their own or family members’ migration projects.

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Research on climate change and migration where are we and where are we going?

Migration Studies ◽

10.1093/migration/mnaa028 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth Ferris

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Global Environmental Change ◽

Forced Migration ◽

Academic Community ◽

Executive Summary ◽

Global Environmental ◽

Governance Challenges ◽

Migration Crisis ◽

And Migration

Abstract Today the issue of climate change-induced mobility—whether displacement, migration, or relocation—is receiving increased interest from policy-makers, academics, and the general public. Many are turning to the academic community for answers to basic questions (how many people are expected to move? when? where?) and for directions for future policies (what measures can support people to remain in their communities? If people have to move, how can the disruption be minimized—for those moving and for the affected communities?). While there is a growing body of literature on the issue, the academic community writ large is presently unable to provide consistent comprehensive evidence or guidance on these issues. Most obviously, there is no consensus about what terminology to use—climate change refugee? Environmental migrant? [e.g. Dun and Gemenne 2008. ‘Defining Environmental Migration’, Forced Migration Review, 31: 10–11]. Nor is there consensus on how many people are expected to move; different research projects use different time frames (2030, 2050, 2100, etc.), are based on different assumptions, and (not surprisingly) come up with different estimates, ranging from 50 million to 1 billion migrants associated with the effects of climate change during this century [e.g. Stern, N. (2006) ‘Stern review on the economics of climate change. Executive Summary’. London: HM Treasury. Baird 2007. Human Tide: The Real Migration Crisis: A Christian Aid Report. London: Christian Aid; UN Development Programme (UNDP) (2007/2008). Human Development Report: Fighting Climate Change, Human Solidarity in a Divided World; Kolmannskog 2009, Climate Change, Disaster, Displacement and Migration: Initial Evidence from Africa. New Issues in Refuge Research (Research Paper No. 180). Geneva: UNHCR; Warner 2009. Global Environmental Change and Migration: Governance Challenges. Global Environmental Change].

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Development of water use scenarios as a tool for adaptation to climate change

Drinking Water Engineering and Science ◽

10.5194/dwes-6-61-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 61-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

R. Jacinto ◽

M. J. Cruz ◽

F. D. Santos

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Water Use ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Land Use Scenarios ◽

Technological Developments ◽

Emissions Scenarios

Abstract. The project ADAPTACLIMA, promoted by EPAL, the largest Portuguese Water Supply Utility, aims to provide the company with an adaptation strategy in the medium and long term to reduce the vulnerability of its activities to climate change. We used the four scenarios (A1, A2, B1, B2) adopted in the Special Report Emissions Scenarios (SRES) of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) to produce local scenarios of water use. Available population SRES for Portugal were downscaled to the study area using a linear approach. Local land use scenarios were produced using the following steps: (1) characterization of the present land use for each municipality of the study area using Corine Land Cover and adaptation of the CLC classes to those used in the SRES; (2) identification of recent tendencies in land use change for the study area; (3) identification of SRES tendencies for land use change in Europe; and (4) production of local scenarios of land use. Water use scenarios were derived considering both population and land use scenarios as well as scenarios of change in other parameters (technological developments, increases in efficiency, climate changes, or political and behavioural changes). The A2 scenario forecasts an increase in population (+16%) in the study area while the other scenarios show a reduction in the resident population (−6 to 8%). All scenarios, but especially A1, show a reduction in agricultural area and an increase in urban area. Regardless of the scenario, water use will progressively be reduced until 2100. These reductions are mainly due to increased water use efficiency and the reduction of irrigated land. The results accord with several projects modelling water use at regional and global level.

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