Racism, the environment, and persecution : environmental refugees in Tuvalu

This paper explores the concept of environmental refugees through a literature review and discourse analysis of media coverage on Tuvalu. Tuvalu is predicted to be the first nation lost to sea level rise and its government has been active in attempting to secure a place of asylum for its citizens. Although the term 'environmental refugee' is not an official one, it is widely used. Therefore, a case study is used to illustrate how environmental refugees are constructed in the public eye. Using political economy and political ecology approach, the power dynamics that lead to disproportionate environmental destruction in poor, racialized areas as well as unequal access to migration are questioned. Looking at two major newspapers each from Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, and one from Tuvalu, the discourse surrounding environmental refugees reveals how the term is constructed and used for varying agendas, from environmentalism to racial exclusion.

Racism, the environment, and persecution : environmental refugees in Tuvalu

This paper explores the concept of environmental refugees through a literature review and discourse analysis of media coverage on Tuvalu. Tuvalu is predicted to be the first nation lost to sea level rise and its government has been active in attempting to secure a place of asylum for its citizens. Although the term 'environmental refugee' is not an official one, it is widely used. Therefore, a case study is used to illustrate how environmental refugees are constructed in the public eye. Using political economy and political ecology approach, the power dynamics that lead to disproportionate environmental destruction in poor, racialized areas as well as unequal access to migration are questioned. Looking at two major newspapers each from Canada, the US, Australia, and New Zealand, and one from Tuvalu, the discourse surrounding environmental refugees reveals how the term is constructed and used for varying agendas, from environmentalism to racial exclusion.

Legal status of environmental refugees as a vulnerable categories of the population requiring environmental and legal protection

The increase in the number of people forced to leave their homes due to climate changes or other environmental problems is growingsteadily. The number of vulnerable categories of population requiring environmental protection is increasing. In this regard, theconcept of “environmental refugee” has emerged at the global level, which requires clear legal regulation and its formal classificationas vulnerable.The results of numerous studies show that the cause of migration is not only political and economic factors, but also the environmentalsituation in a particular area. To determine climatic factors, a standardized precipitation and evaporation index SPEI is used,which is called the “multi-scalar drought index”, which determines the onset, duration and extent of drought relative to normal conditionsin various systems (rivers, sowing areas, ecosystems).The concept of “environmental refugees” is currently recognized in the Global Compact on safe, orderly and legal migration inaccordance with its 2018 goals.The issue of environmental refugees has been discussed at the UN level since 1985, when UNEP – UN Environment Programexpert Essam El-Hinawi identified environmental refugees as “… people who have been forced to leave their habitat, temporarily orpermanently, due to noticeable changes in the environment (natural or man-made), which endangered their existence or significantlyaffected their quality of life. “The definition of environmental refugees should include the following distinguishing features: forced migration, temporary orpermanent relocation, border crossings, disturbances related to climate change: whether they are natural or anthropogenic.The analysis of acts of “soft law” and international agreements in the context of the legal status of “environmental refugees” givesgrounds to classify “environmental refugees” as vulnerable categories of the population subject to environmental and legal protectionon the following grounds:1) environmental refugees are those who have suffered from natural disasters and slow climate change, which destroys the conditionsof proper existence of each person, protection of his fundamental rights, and therefore they are forced to leave their places ofresidence due to environmentally unfavorable conditions;2) environmental refugees are persons of different ages, health conditions, social status, race and nationality, which already automaticallyclassifies them as “vulnerable”;3) environmental refugees need environmental and legal protection and protection, as well as an appropriate legal mechanism toregulate their status as a community at the international legal level and at the national level.

Fortalecimiento institucional en materia de refugiados ambientales en México

RESUMEN: En la primera década del siglo XXI, el fenómeno del cambio climático ha ocasionado una serie de desastres naturales, que han puesto en entredicho, la actuación de las instituciones gubernamentales en materia de protección a los refugiados ambientales y la violación de un derecho humano básico: el derecho a un medio ambiente sano.El presente artículo tiene por objetivo presentar un análisis sobre la importancia de Instituciones gubernamentales y su relación con la calidad institucional, para lo cual está estructurado en tres partes, la primera desarrolla el concepto y la importancia del enfoque institucional, la segunda aborda el marco institucional en torno a la temática de refugiados ambientales y la tercera evalúa la importancia de fortalecer las instituciones gubernamentales para enfrentar esta problemática a través de la acción colectiva.Palabras clave: cambio climático, refugiados ambientales, marco jurídico, instituciones gubernamentales, acción colectiva.ABSTRACT: In the first decade of the 21st century, the phenomenon of climate change has caused a series of natural disasters, which have called into question the actions of government institutions in terms of protecting environmental refugees and the violation of a basic human right: the right to a healthy enviroment.This article aims to present an analysis on the importance of institutions and the relationship with government organization, for which it is structured in three parts, the first develops the concept and the importance of the institutional approach, the second deals with the institutional framework in around the issue of environmental refugees and the third evaluates the importance of strengthening government institutions in Mexico to address this problem through collective action.Key words: climate change, environmental refugees, legal framework, governmental institutions, institutional quality.