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240 A.Heslinet al.
for reasonsof suddenorprogressive changes in the environment that adversely affect their
livesor livingconditions, areobliged tohave to leave theirhabitualhomes,orchoose todo
so, either temporarilyorpermanently, andwhomoveeitherwithin their territoryor abroad
(IOM2017c).
Alternatively, using themore restricted definition ofmigrant from theUN(vol-
untary, international), an environmental migrant would be one who voluntarily
resides outside his/her country for reasons of changes to the environment, sudden-
or gradually-onset. Internal environmental migrants voluntarily relocate domesti-
callyforreasonsofenvironmentalchanges.Anenvironmental refugeewouldbeone
who, due to environmental factors, is forced to flee home and cross international
borders, whereas an environmental IDP is also forced to leave home but remains
within the state of which he/she is a national.While these termsmay seemwell
defined, the process of identifying populations that fall into each category is rife
with complications, leading to scientific and policy debates on the specific criteria
of thedefinitions. Indetermining thecategory intowhichapersonfalls, locating the
personaswithinorwithout theirnationalborders is themost straightforward,while
determiningwhether or not that personmoved voluntarily andwhether or not that
movementwasmotivatedbyenvironmental factors, is cause formuchdebate in the
literature. The decision to leave a place of residence ismultifaceted, comprised of
both push and pull factors (Bronen et al. 2009;Obokata et al. 2014;Renaud et al.
2007;Warneretal.2010).Inthecaseofslowonsetlanddegradation,withdecreasing
cropyields, forexample,onecouldargue thata resident leftwillinglyorwasforced
to leave, aswell asarguing that said resident left forneweconomicopportunities in
anearbycityor left forenvironmental reasons.Whethermovement is forcedorvol-
untaryandwhethermotivatedbyenvironmentaloreconomicreasonsencompassesa
primarydebate in the scientific literatureonenvironmentalmigration (Bates2002).
Additionally,becausethesedefinitionsconstitutelegalclassifications, identifying
whichcategoryapopulationfalls intocancarrywithitparticularsetsofentitlements
or binding policy responses. For example, theUNHighCommission onRefugees
providesaidandresources to refugeesaccording to theirdefinitionof refugees (Gill
2010).Accordingly, environmentally displacedpopulationsmaynot be eligible for
aidasrefugeesastheylacka“wellfoundedfearofbeingpersecuted”asoutlinedinthe
UNConventionRelating to theStatusofRefugees.Without the inclusionofnatural
disastersorclimate-relatedenvironmentaldegradationasformsofpersecution,those
displaced from these causes do not constitute refugees per this definition (Bronen
et al. 2009;Warner et al. 2010). Despite this understanding from the UN, many
studies have used the term environmental refugees to describe those displaced by
environmental factors (Bates2002;Myers2002).
10.2.2 Measurement
Aparticularscientificimplicationofthedefinitional issuesrelatingtoenvironmental
migrationisthecapacitytomeasureandpredictflowsofenvironmentalmigrants(per
IOMdefinition).Dataandempiricalstudiesonenvironmentalmigrationdifferbased
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Title
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Subtitle
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Authors
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Publisher
- Springer Open
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 580
- Keywords
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Categories
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima