Barriers to and enablers of sustainable practices: insights from ethnic minority migrants

Abstract

Migration from the Global South to Global North is a major feature of contemporary population movements, and provides a lived experiment of the implications of moving from less resource-intensive modes of living towards more resource-intensive ones. Pre-migration practices come together in complex ways post-migration with established norms and infrastructures in destination countries. Here we examine the barriers to and enablers of sustainable practices, synthesising in-depth research from nine different studies in south-eastern Australia in relation to household water use, food growing and transport. The total sample includes 323 migrants from 33 countries. The main barriers include infrastructure and broader patterns of work and society. The main enablers are cultural norms of frugality and preferences for public transport. Barriers and enablers interact in diverse ways. We show that migrants are important contributors to inadvertent sustainabilities, but their contributions may be weakened by infrastructural, structural and cultural barriers. Addressing the diverse capacities of migrants would enhance system change for everyone.

Bridging and breaking silos: Transformational governance of the migration–sustainability nexus

“…Agenda 2030 pays little attention to migration as it contributes to transformations toward sustainability in destinations. Migrants play a significant role in defining both social, economic, and environmental aspects of the city and in impacting the core areas of city administrations, including that of planning, jobs, housing, and education ( 5 , 18 ). At the same time, public attitudes, migration policies, segmented labor markets, and residential segregation are some factors that shape the incorporation and participation of migrants in their destination societies ( 19 , 20 ).…”

“…The collision of practices and values can confront and reconfigure socioeconomic patterns including consumption behaviors ( 1 – 3 ). Migrants contribute knowledge, networks, skills, and everyday sustainability practices that are informed by their lived experiences ( 4 , 5 ). Yet, contemporary models of sustainability fail to sufficiently account for population movements and to acknowledge the transformative power of migration ( 1 ).…”

Locating pro‐environmental vernacular practices of tourism

“…Geographers have located 'ethnically diverse vernacular sustainability practices' among migrants (Klocker & Head, 2013, 41). Migrants from the Global South who move to the Global North demonstrate what happens when people with low resource lifestyles live in countries of high resource consumption (Head et al, 2021). Pro-environmental practices such as gardening brought by migrants to their adopted country can persist or dissolve depending on the availability of infrastructures and the strength of practice memories (Strengers & Maller, 2017).…”