Time to Mainstream the Environment into Migration Theory?

Abstract

As with all social processes, human migration is a dynamic process that requires regular theoretical reflection. This article offers such reflection as related to the role of the natural environment in contemporary migration research and theory. A growing body of evidence suggests that environmental contexts, as shifting social and ecological realities, are consequential to migration theory. In this article, we review some of this evidence, providing migration research examples that integrate environmental context and are applicable to core migration theories, including neoclassical economic and migration systems perspectives, the “push-pull” framework, and the new economics of labor migration. We suggest that neglecting consideration of the natural environment may yield misspecified migration models that attribute migration too heavily to social and economic factors, particularly in the context of contemporary climate change. On the other hand, we suggest, failure to consider migration theory in climate scenarios may lead to simplistic projections and understandings, as in the case of “climate refugees.” We conclude that migration researchers have an obligation to accurately reflect the complexity of migration's drivers, including the environment, within migration scholarship, especially in the context of global climate change.

Migration Theory in Climate Mobility Research

“…Push-pull is often grouped with neoclassical migration theory, and according to some scholars represents more of an overarching framework or a descriptive post-hoc model (Hochleithner and Exner, 2018). Push-pull theory frames migration in terms of negative (push) factors in the place of origin that drive people to move away (such as low wages, poverty, lack of opportunities, weather), combined with a number of positive (pull) factors that attract migrants to a new destination (such as higher wages, social services, family 2 A recent review by Hunter and Simon (2022) provides more examples of how environmental factors can and have been incorporated in five theoretical framings: neoclassical migration theory, migration systems, the push-pull model, new economics of labor migration, and political economic approaches. 3 For example, the Foresight report (Foresight, 2011) authors explicitly cite pushpull theory in their development of the widely cited diagram describing the ways in which environmental factors influence migration decision making.…”

“…By the same token, they argue that "in the midst of contemporary climate change, environmental considerations should play a more central role in migration theory, particularly in relation to livelihoods and environmental conditions (both amenities and disamenities) in both urban and rural settings" (p. 387). Building on this, Hunter and Simon (2022) argue that it is important to account for environmental effects in models that explain migration, which otherwise risk misspecification of these effects to socioeconomic determinants. Sociologist/demographer Elizabeth Fussell, who has studied the climate displacement resulting from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, has also contributed significantly to theoretical discussions, pointing out how theory is linked to methods (e.g., how environmental factors are often included by economists in multivariate regression models used in studies of labor migration) and findings (Fussell, 2012).…”

“…Yet, with the exception of a few authors who give the subject limited or case-specific treatment (Hunter, 2005;Hugo, 2011;Hochleithner and Exner, 2018;Piguet, 2018;Kaczan and Orgill-Meyer, 2020;Zickgraf, 2021), there has been insufficient focus on how researchers studying climate migration engage with theory. On the other hand, consensus is growing that there is a need to embed climate mobility research in migration theory (Doevenspeck, 2011;Freeman, 2017), that environmental factors have a place in migration theory, and that the climate mobility research community has much to contribute to theory-building (Hunter and Simon, 2022).…”

Climate Variability and Development Interventions Influence Migration Aspirations and Capabilities of Project Beneficiaries in Southern Ethiopia

“…In existing research, the interlinkages between development and migration have been covered by the body of literature around the migration-development nexus. Until now, when researching the influence of development cooperation on migration, researchers have focused largely on economic indicators, neglecting the environment and climate change (Hunter & Simon, 2022). In this context, studies (Clemens, 2014; Dreher et al, 2019; Gamso & Yuldashev, 2018) have predominantly used macro-economic regressions to prove that emigration rises when the per capita income in less developed countries increases.…”

A Systematic Literature Review on Migration and Remittances in Mountainous Regions: Key Takeaways for Phuthaditjhaba, Free State, South Africa

“…Some structural violence and forced migration happened during the apartheid era when Africans were forced to settle in mountainous homelands such as Phuthaditjhaba [10]. People can take a rational, voluntary decision to migrate to maximise their well-being, taking cognisance of wage differentials, cost of living, and employment opportunities [11]. Labour market structures and inequalities can also drive migration; for example, foreign migrants work in jobs shunned by locals, such as domestic workers, farm workers, or construction workers, among others [12].…”