Environmental Migration: German Experience of Regulation

Abstract

The article analyses German policy regarding environmental migration, aiming to assess its success. The author focuses on the phenomenon and practices of environmental migration in general and its impact on various discourses in Germany and its policies in this regard. The article focuses exploring a range of foreign, predominantly German, sources via content analysis research method. The study uses systemic and institutional approaches, discourse analysis, that enable a comprehensive study of different levels of environmental migration regulation, as well as power, socio-political and scientific expert discourses on such migration. The author concludes that whilst people who flee from climate and environmental change are not officially recognised as refugees in Germany, the country does actively support these individuals both internally and internationally. Germany is a key contributor in international aid when it comes to the most vulnerable countries. Moreover, German civil society, which considers migration one of the key problems of the country's development, has a significant influence on national and regional agenda within the European Union. Leading the way in the international community, including crisis situations, using various means Germany has proven in action its ability to regulate this type of migration.