Natural resources, human mobility and sustainability: a review and research gap analysis
Pressures on natural resources, such as from environmental change, have influenced the global human mobility landscape. This peer-reviewed article evaluates the scientific evidence on the interlinkages between natural resources, human migration and sustainability. Drawing on a review of the existing literature in combination with the authors’ research experience, the article considers a range of conceptual perspectives and empirical studies covered in the literature since the turn of the millennium. Read More…
Human Migration and Natural Resources – Global Assessment of an Adaptive Complex System (UNEP & International Resource Panel, 2023)
This report contributes to the global discussion by moving the discussion of natural resources and migration from being based primarily around environmental determinism to one which recognizes the co-evolutionary nature of society and the environment. Read More…
Mainstreaming Environmental Sustainability and Clean Energy Access in the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) (UNHCR, UNDP, 2022)
This report highlights the link between ecological fragility and humanitarian and development needs in the 3RP countries. It explores the relations between ecological degradation and the refugee crisis, showcasing some of the main challenges for 3RP partners and what 3RP is already doing best to cope with environmental degradation and energy access. It introduces a list of global, regional, and national stakeholders working on environmental sustainability and energy provision in 3RP countries. Read More…
Natural resources, human mobility and sustainability: a review and research gap analysis (Sustainability Science Journal, 2022)
In this article, we review the scientific evidence on the interlinkages between natural resources, human migration and sustainability. Drawing on a review of the existing literature in combination with the authors’ research experience, we consider a range of conceptual perspectives and empirical studies covered in the literature since the turn of the millennium. Read More…
RISK BRIEF NORTH AFRICA & SAHEL (Climate Diplomacy, 2020)
This risk brief aims to provide a concise overview of peer-reviewed literature on the links between climate change and violent conflict in the Sahel, Sahara and North Africa. Read more..
Frontiers – Emerging issues Shoring up Stability: Addressing Climate and Fragility Risks in the Lake Chad Region (Adelphi, 2019)
Lake Chad is caught in a conflict trap. Violence between armed opposition groups – including the so-called ‘Islamic State West Africa Province’ and ‘Boko Haram’ – and state security forces has left 10.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Climate change is compounding these challenges. This report identifies key risks and proposes pragmatic solutions to shore up stability in the region. Read more…
Driving Transformational Change: Foreign Policy and the 2030 Agenda (Adelphi & German Government, 2019)
The SDGs set out a powerful vision for a better world, but action since 2015 is not delivering that promise. Foreign policy practitioners are in a unique position to help advocate for and assist in the implementation of the SDGs. Read more…
Frontiers – Emerging issues of environmental concern (UNEP, 2017)
In 2016, about 31.1 million people were newly displaced within their own countries because of conflicts, violence and natural disasters—the latter responsible for 24.2 million of them. The increased awareness of risks from a changing environment and climate reinforces the need for good planning for in-place adaptation and policy design to prevent or manage human displacements. Read more…
Climate change and migration: an overview (Global Encyclopaedia of Migration, 2013)
There is considerable historical and contemporary evidence that changes in climatic conditions have the potential to influence human migration patterns. Anthropogenic climate change will oblige human populations to undertake a range of adaptive strategies, which will happen at a variety of scales and levels from the individual or house hold through to higher level institutions. The range of adaptation options available to a given population will vary according to the broader social, economic, and political context that determines household wellbeing. Read more…
The numbers game (Forced Migration Review, 2008)
Estimates of the potential number of ‘climate change migrants’ vary hugely. In order to persuade policymakers of the need to act and to provide a sound basis for appropriate responses, there is an urgent need for better analysis, better data and better predictions. Read more…
Migration and Climate Change (IOM, 2008)
Predicting future flows of climate migrants is complex; stymied by a lack of baseline data, distorted by population growth and reliant on the evolution of climate change as well as the quantity of future emissions. Nonetheless this paper sets out three broad scenarios, based on differing emissions forecasts, for what we might expect. These range from the best case scenario where serious emissions reduction takes place and a “Marshall Plan” for adaptation is put in place, to the “business as usual” scenario where the large-scale migration foreseen by the most gloomy analysis comes true, or is exceeded. Read more…