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244 A.Heslinet al.
to thenationandareassociatedwithcheap,unskilled labor in thenationaldiscourse
(Romero2006).The inclusionof thesemigrants ismeteredby thedegree towhich
theyare seenascontributing to thenational economy(DeckardandBrowne2015).
Thisrealityhasbecomesoanchoredinthehegemoniccommonsensethatacriminal-
ityhasbeenconstructedaroundmigrantbodies,whicharephysicallypresentwhile
economically surplus (Gunkel andGonzálezWahl 2012). To the degree towhich
migrantsareseenascostingmoneyintermsofsocialbenefitsoruseofpublicgoods,
theyareviewedasmembersofanout-group.Conversely, to theextent that theyare
perceived to work effectively and contribute to the general economic well-being,
they are seen asmeritorious of inclusion in national communities (Armenta 2017;
Golash-BozaandParker2007).
The discourse aroundmigrant labor is similar in other wealthy nations—most
notablytheconstructionoftheAfricaninWesternEurope.Similartothepushfactors
propellingLatino immigrants to theUnitedStates, thehomecountry realitiesof the
Frenchsanspapiersvaryintheircombinationofenvironmentaldegradation,conflict,
economichardshipandcorruption.Also,similarlyundocumentedmigrantstoFrance
exist in the intersticesofsurplus laborandcriminal (Schaap2011). Insharpcontrast
totheextensivepositiveattentiongiventomethodsofincorporationforrefugeesand
legalmigrants—thosewhohavebeengivenpermission to reside in thenationonly
so longas theyperformworkexplicitly required inorder tomeetnationaleconomic
goals—anyneedtointegratetheeconomicallysurplusgeneratedbyglobalchallenges
has, apparently, beenaddressedwith theirwidespreadcriminalisation.
Inaddition to theflowsofvoluntarymigrants internallyandinternationally,mass
events, suchasnaturaldisasters, canabruptlydisplace those living inaspace,often
enmasse.Whensuchlargeandsuddendisplacementsoccur,governmentsfacelogis-
tical and political challenges inmanaging the flowof people internally and across
international borders. In this process, the displaced can seek asylum, often settling
temporarily in refugeecamps,beginningaprolonged, indefinite stateof transience.
Understanding theroleandstructureof therefugeecampisan importantcompo-
nent of environmentalmigration, as refugee camps represent the political response
tomassdisplacement,aspossiblethroughlargescalenaturaldisasters.Throughsuch
events, aswell as large scale conflicts, displaced populations can flow into neigh-
bouringcountriesatrates,whichexceedtheeconomic,political,orsocialcapacityor
willingnessofthereceivingcountrytoaccommodate.Thestructureofthecampitself
speaks to its roots inpolitical expediency for thehost country.Following theestab-
lished provisions in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and
1967Protocol, tomaintaincredibilityglobally, countries face internationalpressure
to respond tomassdisplacement (Black2001). Therefugeecampthusarisesoutof
the juxtapositionof theinternationalpressure toactcharitably towards thoseinneed
anda state’s inclination tokeep“spaceanddistance” fromthe refugees themselves
(Hyndman2000).
In addressing the losses anddamages of environmental displacement, onemust
engagewith the realities of the refugee camp. Rather than initiating a process of
assimilation, the camp inherently exists as a spaceofprolonged temporality,which
serves toexclude refugees’participation in theeconomicandsocial activitiesof the
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